They Were Kids That I Once Knew
by Tori Stone
Summary: The not-so-long awaited companion piece to They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes, written entirely in the point of view of the Phantom himself. Expanding on Danny and Sam's relationship, starting from the beginning. If you liked THLITE, you'll love this one. Rating has been bumped up to M!
1. Chapter 1

**So I know I said I was planning on taking a few days off, but...the idea of doing a spin-off from Danny's point of view was just too tantalizing. I couldn't resist.**

**Anyways, this story is gonna show, eventually, Danny's POV on the major events of _They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes_. It is, essentially, a companion piece to THLITE. Except it'll start off as little blurbs showing the progression and evolution of Danny and Sam's relationship, starting with the hours after the Disasteroid to the days before the start of THLITE. And then the events of THLITE, and maybe even a little DxS wedding goodness. Who knows?**

**I still haven't forgotten those other pieces, don't worry. I just really needed to establish this story before I return to those other ones.**

**The title is yet another line from Dead Hearts, which served as the inspiration to THLITE.**

**As for this chapter, it started off as a very different beast. It had a mind of its' own. But I'm happy with it.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter One**

**September 13, 2012**

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To say that Danny was busy would be an understatement.

From the moment his plane landed at the Amity Park airport, he was dragged off in a million different directions. News reporters and paparazzi and even a few celebrities were waiting just outside the gate, all waiting to bombard him with questions.

They were not the only ones with questions. Danny realized fairly quickly that questions would become part of his new life. His parents had questions. His teachers had questions. His neighbors had questions. Lots and lots of questions, and within one hour of stopping the Disasteroid, Danny grew quite accustomed to answering them. Questions about his safety. Questions about his enemies. Questions about the accident, and the powers it both blessed and cursed him with.

"I can't believe you never told us." Was a common phrase as well. Most of the people on the plane murmured it several times each, sending Danny ino a spiralling fit of guilt. He feebly attempted to reason that he did not want to put them in danger by exposing them to his secret, which they waved away. Then there was the question of how Jazz come to know the secret. She quickly stepped in, gracefully explaining that for a while, Danny did not even know that she knew. She found out by accident, seeing something she was not supposed to see. It was not Danny's fault. Danny leaned back in his seat, wanting nothing more than to sleep.

But the questions kept on coming. His safety was discussed, and his parents informed him that he would no longer be fighting ghosts with nothing more than a thin layer of spandex protecting his body. He griped and complained long enough to talk them into letting him keep the jumpsuit, promising that he would allow them to enhance the fabric and make it a bit more protective, so long as the symbol over his chest was kept intact. That seemed to satisfy them, at least for a moment.

Then came questions about Tucker and Sam. At first, about their involvement in the accident. These quickly morphed into questions about their participation in Danny's ghost-fighting escapades. And then their safety came into question. Tucker and Sam flanked Danny on either side on the plane. Sam reached over the armrest and took Danny's hand in hers, neither moving their gazes from the concerned faces of the authority figures before them. Danny reached on his other side and grabbed Tucker's forearm.

"I would never let anything happen to either of them." He spoke the promise in a voice so low, so dangerous, that the adults fell completely silent. The three were nothing more than children, no older than fifteen years old, and yet, the expressions on their faces and the body language they spoke to each other suggested they were matured far beyond their age. No one dared to suggest that Tucker and Sam stop helping Danny, not with the look Danny gave them.

The conversation quickly shifted to Vlad. How long had he been evil? When did he become a half-ghost? How long had Danny known about this? Surprisingly, Jack was mostly silent during these questions. He merely gazed blindly at the floor of the plane, his face a mask of pain. His so-called best friend honestly tried to kill him and steal his wife, his family. Danny tuned the questions out, waiting until his dad glanced up at him again. Their eyes met and Danny smiled tentatively. Jack chuckled.

The hours spent on the plane were full of random spurts of questions that exploded in the space between long stretches of silence. Danny revelled in the silence when it came, knowing that now those moments would be harder and harder to come by. Tucker dozed off with his head against the window of the plane, his glasses and beret askew, leaving Danny and Sam as the only conscious souls on that row. Danny closed his eyes and relived that kiss, that wonderful, spectacular, earth-bending kiss that they shared before he left for his possible doom. He felt her shift beside him and he opened his eyes, to find her gazing past him out the window, partially obscured by Tucker's head. She tore her gaze away from the clouds rushing by beneath them and smiled sleepily at Danny. He took her hand and squeezed.

Briefly, he wondered when he would get to kiss her again, and for a moment he considered leaning over and doing it right then and there. But that would be wrong. It would be strange to share such an intimate thing with her in front of their parents and teachers and the other adults. So he settled for bringing the back of her hand up to his face and kissing her fingers. She laughed a little before leaning over to him and resting her head in the crook of his neck. He laid his cheek on the crown of her head, closing his eyes at the feeling of peace that wound through him. He heard Mr. Lancer clearing his throat to ask a question, and he cringed. He did not want this moment he was having with Sam to be broken just yet. Thankfully, for some reason unknown to Danny, the question died in Mr. Lancer's throat. The last four hours of the flight were spent in silence, Danny using the time to wonder exactly how Sam got her skin to be so soft and smooth.

This silence was completely shattered, however, when the plane landed. Danny was immediately mobbed upon exiting the gate, cameras flashing and blinding lights leaving him completely disoriented. Hands grabbed his shoulders and pushed him forward, through the deafeningly loud mob, and for a moment Danny thought he might just collapse from sensory overload. He lost his grip on Sam's hand in all of the commotion, and he desperately missed its' warmth now. He tried to glance back, to find her in the crowd, but the forest of bodies blocking his vision made it impossible to tell friend from journalist.

He was pushed directly into a black town car, and as he scrambled across the seat, Tucker was thrown in shortly after. Danny felt a moment of panic as the door slammed shut and the engine revved, his displeasure with leaving without Sam blatantly obvious in his face. But the car did not move and eventually Danny's panic faded. Faces and cameras were pressed against the glass, shouting his name, and in that moment Danny finally understood exactly what Sam was talking about when she ranted against the treatment of purple back gorillas. He felt caged, and his heart seemed to be bounding out of his chest in an effort to escape the terrible feeling.

Suddenly the crowd parted, allowing Danny and Tucker to get a clear view of Sam nose-to-nose with a reporter. She appeared to be screaming, her arms flailing wildly as she swung at the man. A large man in a black suit seized her by her upper arms and carried her to the town car as Sam kicked desperately. Tucker was laughing hysterically at the scene, wiping the tears from his eyes as the door swung open and the man in the suit dropped Sam in the last empty seat beside Tucker. The door swung shut immediately after and the car lurched forward.

"That son of a _bitch_ called me _Sammy_!" Sam screeched, pressing her face and hands against the window as the mob grew more distant. "He actually called _me_ _Sammy_!"

"You were about to murder a guy, live, with about a million cameras on you, for calling you by a stupid pet name?" Tucker asked, still chortling. Sam shot him a withering glare.

"I don't even let _you two_ call me Sammy. Why would I let a complete stranger call me that?" She demanded. "I can't believe...just, the _nerve_ of that guy...why he thinks..."

Even Danny had to chuckle at her grumbling. "C'mon, Sam, let it go," He said, reaching around Tucker to brush his fist lightly along her thigh. She glanced at him, still looking annoyed, but softened considerably under his gaze. Danny grinned at this new ability.

"Dude. You're suffocating me." Tucker said, shoving Danny's arm away from his chest. "You and your stupid body heat have me dying of heat exhaustion over here."

"We just got back from _Antarctica_." Sam dead-panned. "You're complaining about heat exhaustion? You're lucky you still have your fingers and toes. Frostbite is a bitch." She paled, glancing out the back window. "Not Frostbite the ghost, obviously. I meant frostbite the sensation." Tucker was snickering behind his hand. "Oh, shut the hell up."

Eventually Tucker's snickers faded, leaving them in a comfortable silence. Unvoiced questions welled up between them; when would Tucker start as mayor? How would his secret being out change Danny's life? How would Sam fit in to all of that? Would the three of them ever get to be Team Phantom again?

The town car dropped Tucker off on the sidewalk before his house. Danny and Sam watched in silence as he scurried up the steps to his home, the door of which was flung open. His parents were just inside the door, their eyes on their son, and just before the town car pulled away from the curb, Danny could see Tucker's mother's arms winding tightly around the beret-clad boy's neck.

Sam's house was next, just a short three-minute drive from Tucker's house. Danny had to act fast; he knew his parents would never let him out of the house now, especially not after everything that happened. So he would have to act fast.

He reached toward her and took her face boldly in one hand, bringing her face up to his and crashing his chin down toward hers. She made a little noise of surprise beneath his mouth, which quickly turned into a moan as the tip of his tongue traced the outline of her lips. Danny felt a rush of pleasure at the realization that he was the one drawing that amazing sound from her. He hungered to hear it again.

But there would be time for that later, he was sure. An endless amount of time, if he played his cards right. He pulled his lips reluctantly from her, chuckling when she tried to follow him. He kept his forehead flush against hers, breathing in the scent of her perfume. The car was already slowing, to his dismay. He peered over her shoulder and almost groaned at the sight of her house coming into view.

"Meet me in the park tomorrow night." He urged her. Her eyes widened, in confusion, he thought.

"What about your ceremony?" She murmured.

He shrugged. "Screw the ceremony. I still have some stuff I wanna talk to you about."

She smiled. "Okay," She whispered. the car was completely stopped now, and Danny could see Sam's parents waiting anxiously in the doorway for their daughter. He leaned away from Sam, watching as she turned to peek at her parents as well. "I'll see you tomorrow night, then?" She asked, turning back toward Danny but sliding toward the door.

"Seven o'clock. Don't be late." He grinned cheekily as she rolled her eyes and climbed out of the car. He chuckled when Sam's mother rushed out of the doorway and enveloped her daughter in a bone-crushing hug. The car pulled away as Sam's father joined his wife and daughter, the three of them traipsing toward the front door with arms slung around Sam's body.

He leaned back in his seat, sighing in content. Everything, it seemed, was finally falling into place. Vlad was gone, hopefully for good. The world knew his secret and had not shunned him, either of his identities. His parents were supportive and excited, his sister seemed much less high-strung now that she did not have to make excuses to protect Danny. All in all, life seemed pretty good.

Though, it would be a lot better if that class ring with Sam's name etched into the surface was no longer burning a hole in his pocket. He grinned to himself.

Something told him that this would not be the last ring he would slip onto Sam's finger.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter Two**

**September 14, 2012**

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Their first fight happened two weeks after they started dating.

Later, after it was resolved, Tucker teased the couple over their complete lack of a honeymoon phase. Danny chose to ignore him, agreeing wholeheartedly with Sam when she growled that their honeymoon period started back when she placed her design over his heart. Of course, he was eager to agree with anything Sam said at that point. If she said that the Box Ghost was terrifying and a formidable foe, he would have nodded until his neck broke.

The city granted Danny, Sam, and Tucker licenses early, due to the fact that they were all able to drive the Fenton RV and the Specter Speeder. They were all delighted to find that driving cars was not unlike the RV or the Speeder, and none of them had any problems transferring their knowledge of driving the massive vehicles to the small Camries the city allowed them to drive.

Their argument started over car keys. They were just leaving a gala in Yorkshire around midnight. Yorkshire was a two-and-a-half hour drive from Amity Park. All Danny was trying to do was get the keys from Sam, so that he could drive and she could sleep on the trip back.

But no. He would never admit it to her, or to anyone for that matter, but Sam was incredibly unreasonable about the whole thing. What started off as a simple question of where are the keys quickly morphed into an argument of women's rights. Danny stood in stunned silence as Sam lectured on about how women were capable of driving men around, and that he should not care about social conventions regarding men and women and who should drive who.

"You know I don't care about that. I just asked because I thought you would want to sleep." He said stiffly. She tensed, her fingers curling into a fist in her pocket around the car keys.

"Then why do you sound like you're about to hit me?" She quipped, looking at him from the corner of her eye and arching her eyebrow. Danny felt the color drain to his face and pool in the pit of his stomach like ice.

"Don't joke about that." He snapped. They were in the parking lot by then, away from any eavesdroppers. "That's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny," Sam said, her voice rising. "You sound like you're about to take a swing at me!"

"Just give me the damn car keys and let me drive!" Danny growled. Sam's eyes widened and she halted there in the parking lot. He turned half-way to her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You know what...fine." She tore the car keys from her pocket and hurled them at Danny. They hit him square in the chest and landed in his hands as Sam stormed past him, flipping her hair haughtily as she went. He rolled his eyes and trailed after her.

They slid into the car in icy silence. Danny started the engine and flipped the radio on, cranking the volume out in an attempt to drown the fury radiating from Sam's tiny frame. He clenched his jaw when he realized it was not working.

The first hour passed painfully slowly, much to Danny's dismay. The highway dwindled down to a one-lane two-way street, which was almost completely empty. There were no street lamps, which did not immediately register as a problem to Danny. The road was mainly straight, the only turns slow and gradual curves. His eyes were glazed in a mixture of exhaustion and worry when it happened.

The road turned sharply to the right. Danny did not realize the sudden change in direction until he was nearly on top of it. He barely heard Sam crying out his name as he slammed on the brakes and yanked the wheel down as hard as he could, but he already knew it was too late. The world began to quake as the wheels of the Camry left the asphalt. Danny closed his eyes tightly, gripping the wheel as hard as he could as the car made contact with a thick tree trunk.

The radio shut off as smoke began to rise from beneath the hood of the car. He blinked rapidly, the shock of the situation numbing his senses. The car was making a strange hissing noise that Danny did not like at all.

"Sam!" He gasped. She was hunched forward in her seat, completely motionless. He twisted toward her and strained to get his arms around her. Once he thought he had a good grip on her, he phased through the car and stumbled out into the street.

He laid her flat on her back just beside the road. A thin line of blood was trickling from a small cut on her forehead, but other than that, she appeared unharmed. She was already stirring as Danny desperately wiped at the blood on her face.

"Are you okay?" He demanded. "God, I'm so sorry Sam, I didn't even see that turn, I was so distracted by everything I just couldn't see the road until it was too late..."

"I'm fine," She whispered. She allowed him to pull her into a sitting position, keeping an arm around her shoulders. "Just hit my head on the dash. No big deal." She brought her fingers up to the cut and winced upon contact. Danny gently brushed her bangs back and grimaced when he realized it was swelling.

"You could have a concussion," He worried aloud. "I need to call an ambulance..." He glanced back at the still-smoking car, not wanting to leave Sam sprawled there on the ground. Miraculously, at that exact moment, a pair of headlights came slowly around the corner, slowing even further when the landed on Danny and Sam. Danny squinted as the car pulled to the side of the road, moving to hover almost directly over Sam in a protective crouch.

He did not need to, he realized, when the driver climbed out of her car. "Danny?" Jazz asked, a note of panic in her voice.

"Hey," He grunted, glancing back at Sam. She was staring at him, something moving in her eyes that he had never seen before; it was almost as if she was trying to apologize. Which was strange, because Sam never apologizes. It was not part of her vocabulary. "I'm fine, Sam hit her head. Can we get her to a hospital?"

Jazz was already half-way around the car. She lurched a little when she stopped, before nodding and turning back to her car. Danny stood and offered Sam his hand, which she took. He pulled her up a little harder than necessary so that she fell forward into him. He tucked her into his side, wrapping his arms around her protectively and walking with her to the car. He felt her tilting her head onto his shoulder and instantly he knew that all was forgiven. Despite the tension burning in his body, he could not help but to smile a little.

"You know there's gonna be a ton of stories about how you guys were driving drunk or something when this gets out," Jazz murmured from the driver's seat. Danny ignored her, turning his body in the back seat to let Sam use his chest as a pillow. He kept his arms around her, occasionally bring his hand up to wipe the blood off of her face, planting kisses on the crown of her head until she fell asleep against him. For the first time since his ice powers kicked in, he was incredibly grateful for the incredibly high amount of body heat he involuntarily emitted. Sam must have found it soothing, because she was asleep within moments. He caught Jazz sneaking glances at them through her rear-view mirror, and he smiled thankfully at her.

"Thank you for saving us back there," He murmured quietly, desperately trying not to wake Sam.

"No problem, little brother," She smiled, craning her neck to peek at Sam. "Is she asleep?"

"Yeah," He grunted, running his fingers through her hair. He chuckled when she burrowed a little further into his chest, balling her hand into a fist in his button-up shirt. Their fight was completely irrelevant fo him now, sitting in the warm comfort of Jazz's backseat with Sam curled into his side. Suddenly he did not care if he drove or she drove or anything like that. All that mattered was that he was falling deeper and deeper in love with this girl, and he was starting to forget what life before Sam was like. Granted, Sam seemed to always be in his life, from the time he was five years old, but never in such a dominant role. He glanced out the window, squinting at the lights of Amity Park slowly coming into view, and then back down at Sam.

They would formally discuss their fight later. Though, after everything he adamantly believed he caused, he was far more willing to admit defeat. Sam's smile was just a little too cocky for his liking at the end of his long-winded apology, though, so he took it upon himself to pin her down to his bed and kiss her until her eyes could not focus on anything but his.

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**Sorry it's short. I'm running on fumes here. More to come, probably tomorrow after 4PM sometime. Keep an eye on it.**

**- Tori**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi beautiful people.**

**I'm a little really super like running on an hour and a half of sleep after an 11 hour work day tired. I just wanted to say though before I pass out that I really appreciate all the reviews you guys have been posting on this and THLITE. Makes my day when those emails pop up on my phone.**

**Um okay I'm gonna go lay down I'm really loopy right now. Hah.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom wooooooooooo**

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**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter Three**

**Septembe 15, 2012**

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The first time Danny ever told Sam he loved her was about six months after the Disasteroid. Danny was hesitant to call that the day they started "dating" because that implied that they weren't dating before; he knew he had given her his heart the day Valerie broke it. The Disasteroid was merely the day he pointed that fact out to Sam. It was the day that he realized just how deep his feelings for her were; the day he realized he did not know how to live without her there, in one form or another. Life without Sam was unfathomable.

Of course, being the young age of fifteen left him void of the words to describe how he felt to her. Which irritated him to no end, especially because his feelings grew deeper and truer with each passing moment. If he could not find the time to tell her, and the words to tell her, he would burst.

The opportunity came six months after the Disasteroid. He had just celebrated his sixteenth birthday not four days earlier - which involved a suprising amount of people, which slightly bothered him at first since he really just wanted to spend the day with his family, Tucker, and (of course) Sam - but he had enjoyed it none the less. He got a call from the head of the paranormal criminal activity department, a new sector of the Amity Park Police, detailing a crime-in-progress at the sporting goods store on the other end of town from Fenton Works. Luckily, Sam was there when the call happened, and she was more than happy to accompany Danny to the sporting goods store.

"Be careful." He instructed when they arrived. Sam rolled her eyes, but nodded, which Danny took as a good sign. He flashed to Phantom and phased them both through the back wall of the store.

They were greeted by the sight of Skulker busily rummaging through a display of crossbows. The hulking metal ghost whirled around, bared teeth flashing beneath the flourescent lights above. "C'mon, man, don't you have a life?" Danny whined, dropping Sam on her feet and floating a few inches off the ground. "Make your own weapons!"

"I don't take orders from whelps like you!" Skulker snapped. "Eat plasma ray!"

Danny had just enough time to shove Sam out of the way before a thick beam hit him square in the chest. He felt himself being launched backwards through the air and making contact with the wall of the building behind him. His head bounced off the surface and immediately his surroundings went dark and still.

"Danny?" Sam's voice was faint and distant, edged with panic. Danny attempted to follow her voice and winced at the pain that came with nearing the surface. "Danny, can you hear me?" He tried to nod, to open his eyes, to tell her yes, but his body was not cooperating. A strangled groan escaped his throat and suddenly he felt himself burst through to the surface.

His eyes flew open to find Sam's face just inches from his, pale and twisted in worry. The moment his eyes found hers, though, she seemed to sag a little in relief. "Are you okay?" She whispered.

"Yeah," He attempted to sit up, screwing his eyes shut at the swell of pain coursing through his body. "Where's Skulker?"

"I already took care of him," Sam murmured, her gaze still on his face. He blinked in shock.

"By yourself?" He asked, his voice rising in panic.

"No, no, relax. Your parents are here, too, they helped. C'mon, we need to get you out of here, you look terrible," She pulled him to his feet, rearranging his arm to drape over her shoulders. One hand held his arm in place, while the other hooked around his waist to keep him steady as they walked. News reporters were standing outside, cameras ready and trained on the couple as they emerged. Danny kept his eyes closed, half in an attempt to block out the pain, half to ignore the reporters. Sam guided him through the crowd, making sure he was safely buckled into the passenger's seat when they reached his car, before jogging around to the driver's side and starting the car. He glanced at her, wondering when exactly she managed to get his keys out of his pocket. Or when he changed from Phantom to Fenton, for that matter. His head throbbed and he groaned involuntarily, earning a worried glance from Sam as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Sam parked haphazardly outside of Fenton Works, apparently eager to get Danny inside before the reporters found them again. She almost carried him to the door, he realized through the haze of disorientation and pain. He wondered if he had a concussion.

"I don' wanna go to th'hospital," He slurred as she kicked the front door of Fenton Works closed. She grunted beneath his weight as she twisted to lock the door.

"We're not going to the hospital." She assured him as she led him to the stairs.

"Good. 'Cause I don' needa go," He shook his head, frustrated with his tongue, which felt like a fifty-pound sack of sand. "I'm really sleepy."

She grimaced. "That's probably not a good thing..." She seemed torn for a moment. She shook it off, though, trudging further up the stairs. "I bet a shower will help, though."

"Mmm I love showers," Danny sighed, closing his eyes and tripping a little, nearly bringing both of them crashing down. Sam steadied the two of them, though, and after a moment of recomposition, she pulled him a bit further along.

After what seemed like hours, they finally landed on the second floor. Danny tried to take as much of his weight on his own feet as he could, but the back of his head felt like it was splitting in half, attempting to take his brain with it. Sam was panting from her effort, though she did her best to keep a straight face for Danny.

"Okay...yeah. I'll see you in ten minutes. Bye," Jazz waltzed out of her room and froze, her phone half-way to her purse. "Danny?"

"It's okay, he's fine...I think," Sam mumbled. "He hit his head, but I've seen him get worse and he was fine without a hospital. I think he just needs a shower."

"Let me help." Jazz rushed to Danny's other side and hooked his free arm around her neck, so that he was basically being carried between the two girls. They lifted him into his room and helped him perch on the edge of his bed. They pulled one shoe and one sock from his feet each, before Jazz forced Danny to stand again. He gripped Sam's shoulders as Jazz unbuttoned his pants. "I'm not touching your boxers," She informed him as she straightened, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Danny rolled his eyes as he stepped out of his pants.

"I already feel like crap, thanks for making it better," He spat, yanking his shirt up over his head. He glanced at Sam and felt a rather perverse rush of pleasure when he found her staring unashamed at his muscled torso. It was almost enough to make him forget the fact that his head was splitting in half.

"Quick shower, got it? If you're not out in fifteen minutes, I'm coming in there." Jazz ordered as Danny shut his bathroom door. He rolled his eyes and started the water just a shade warmer than necessary.

He let the water pound the muscles of his neck and shoulders for about ten minutes before he decided to actually clean himself. He cleaned his hair and scrubbed the smudges of dirt and dust from his body quickly, shutting the water off and wrapping a towel around his waist right at fifteen minutes. Already, he felt much better, the splitting in his head reduced to nothing more than a headache. He crouched and dug through the cabinet beneath the sink, extracting the nearly empty bottle of pain killers and giving the plastic container an experimental shake. There would be enough in there to last maybe two weeks. He would need to buy more, and sooner rather than later. He downed the pills without any water and shook his head until his hair was damp and wild.

Danny paused when he realized Jazz and Sam were still in his bedroom, talking quietly. He nearly pressed his ear against the door in an attempt to listen to their conversation.

"I don't know. He seems really nice, I met him in the coffee shop downtown while I was studying, but...I don't know. I just don't see myself marrying him, you know?" Jazz was saying. He heard the springs in his mattress creaking as one of the girls shifted.

"So?" Sam said boldly. "Who cares? You're attracted to him. It's not like it'll kill you to go on one date with the guy."

"I seriously doubt he's the love of my life, though. And that's the problem with relationships! I'm only eighteen, for pete's sake. He can't be the love of my life. I just met the guy!"

"Jazz, you just said it yourself. You're only eighteen. You aren't gonna fall in love right now, it just doesn't happen. But are you seriously gonna let that stop you from dating? I mean, isn't dating just one big experiment? You know, to see what you like in a guy and what you don't like, and what you're like in a relationship, both serious and just for the hell of being in a relationship?"

Danny frowned. "I guess you're right," Jazz said slowly. "I shouldn't be shooting guys down just because I know I'm not gonna marry them."

"Love is such a huge thing. It doesn't just...happen, not the way you're expecting it to, at least. It's a process. You've gotta figure out what you like and what you don't like, so that when the one comes along, you'll know what to expect." Danny turned away from the door, leaning back against the wooden panels and running a hand through his damp hair.

_Is that what our relationship means to her?_ He wondered._ Am I just an experiment?_ He felt his heart shatter. The pain of it was so real that he actually reached and touched his chest, closing his eyes and gently applying pressure to the area. _It has to mean more. This isn't an experiment to me. It's real. And she needs to know that._

He turned back around quickly and flung the door open. Jazz and Sam, who were sitting on his bed, looked around at the movement. They each wore similar masks of mixed happiness and concern. "Feelin' better?" Sam asked.

"Much," Danny said softly. He padded out of the bathroom and trotted toward his chest of drawers, pulling one open and extracting a pair of boxers. "I'll, ah..."

"We'll leave." Jazz said immediately. Both girls stood and quietly left his bedroom.

"Sam?" Danny called just before she shut his door. She stuck her head back inside, both eyebrows raised. "Don't leave. Okay?"

"I won't," She smiled, before pulling her head back out and shutting the door gently. Danny quickly pulled his clothes on, eager to get Sam away from Jazz. He was dressed in under sixty seconds, which was probably a new record, and he had the door open right at the one-minute mark.

"Dang," Sam muttered. "That was quick."

Danny merely reached for her hand, making to pull her back into his bedroom. She let him pull her forward, but not without turning back to Jazz. "Have fun with Micah!" Sam sang. Jazz turned and waved her hand over her head as she headed toward the stairs.

"C'mere," Danny murmured, pulling her against his chest and kicking his bedroom door shut. She fell against him, their lips finding each other quickly. Danny sighed, momentarily losing himself in her. But as her arms wound around her waist and a quiet moan escaped her throat, he heard her words ringing in his memory: _'Isn't dating just one big experiment?'_

He pulled away abruptly, staring hard into her eyes. She seemed to sense his mood shift; she tensed and tried to straighten, but his arms held her fast against his chest. "I overheard you and Jazz talking a little while ago,"

"Oh, that? I wouldn't worry, I don't think she's really interested in the guy. She doesn't even really want to go out with him, I'm kind of forcing her to -"

"No, I don't care about that part," Danny shook his head. "I'm talking about what you said about dating."

Sam tilted her head and gazed up at the ceiling. "What did I say?"

"That dating is just one big experiment to figure out what you like in a relationship and who you are in a relationship." He could barely conceal the hurt in his voice as he spoke the words. Sam paled immediately.

"I didn't mean us," She said quickly. "We're different."

"But that's your attitude about dating!" Danny cried, struggling between the urges to tighten his grip and never let go, or to drop her there and run to the other side of the room. His head throbbed.

"Danny, relax," She instructed, bringing one hand up and laying it over his heart. "Yes, that's my attitude about young people dating. But I think we can both agree that we stopped being kids the second we realized you got your powers." Danny stared down at the place where her hand rested, bringing one of his own hands up to hold it. She seemed to small against him. "This isn't an experiment to me. This is the real thing."

Danny peered up at her cautiously. He found no misgivings in her demeanor. "Good." He murmured. "Because, honestly, I...I'm completely in love with you. I love you, Sam."

She blinked in shock for a moment, before her face split into a wide grin. "Really?" She whispered. He nodded, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you, too, Danny."

Her breath washed over his face as she spoke the words he had been dreaming of hearing for weeks, months, even years if he was being completely honest, and before she could finish speaking his name, his mouth was over hers and his hands were pulling her to his bed. Suddenly, his head did not hurt nearly as bad as before.

* * *

**I just realized that I sound kind of drunk right now. I promise though that in real life I look like a drowning cat when I get this tired and I don't even like cats that much what's up with that?**

**OH GOD GIVE ME SLEEP LIKE NOW**

**I really hope I'm not scaring y'all off...cause mostly I'm normal just not right now.**

**- Tori**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yeah so I got some sleep. A lot of sleep, actually.**

**I'm really sorry that this is so short. I've got a pounding headache and a lot of really bad stuff happened at work earlier (that I REALLY don't want to get into), but I felt guilty not updating today. It's still a good chapter, in my opinion, but...idk. I feel like it could be longer if I worked at it a little more, but it gets the point across.**

**I'm, uh...yeah. I just can't deal right now.**

**I'm gonna go watch Friends.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter Four**

**September 16, 2012**

* * *

The first time Sam ever got hurt during one of his ghost fights was exactly one year after the Disasteroid. They were spending the evening together, celebrating the occasion with a movie and a junk food feast in Sam's parent's basement, as opposed to doing any of the interview offers he received or invitations to several different talk shows stationed all over the world. They were just starting in on The Hangover - or, starting in on ignoring The Hangover and making out on Sam's couch - when Danny got a call. Technus was at it again at Amity Park's Best Buy. Danny merely gazed at Sam, an apologetic scowl on his face.

"Don't worry about it," She shooed his unspoken apology. "Let's go kick his ass before the tofu dogs get cold."

They did not bother with the car this time. Danny held her beneath her armpits, grinning like an idiot when she laughed in exhilaration at the wind beneath her feet and between her legs. He loved it when she laughed even before they started dating; now it was like the sounds of angels to his ears. He counted it as a day well-spent whenever he could make her laugh.

His grin faded, however, when he saw sparks flying through the windows of the Best Buy. For a moment, he considered making Sam wait outside while he went in and dealt with the situation himself, but after a recent experience involving Ember and Sam single-handedly breaking the ghost's prized guitar, he would never dare to even dream of going into a fight without her. Not when she fought so well.

So he phased them through the wall easily, dropping Sam while still moving forward so that she landed running. Technus was ready for them, though; several wires shot forward and snaked around Danny's chest. His arms were pinned to his sides.

"That's enough, Technus!" Danny shouted as Sam aimed a blade he himself had specifically designed for her a few weeks earlier at the wires. She threw the knife with expert precision; the blade sliced through the wires like butter. He caught it by the hilt before it could fly any further, tucking the blade down and clipping it to his belt without ever taking his eyes off of Technus.

"So what's your plan this time? Steal all the flat screens and make a giant screen with your face on it? Because you're freaky enough without the massive image of your face, that would just be cruel." Danny crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at his foe.

"Oh no. I do not shout out my plans to the heavens any longer. That was a flaw of Technus two-point-oh. I am the new and improved Technus three-point-oh! Can you not see my magnificent upgrade?" The ghost held his arms aloft and spun quickly in the air, gazing at Danny and Sam expectantly.

"You don't look any different. At all." Sam sighed, leaning on one leg and placing a hand on her hip. "You look exactly the same as you did before."

"Oh, but this is a lie! Technus two-point-oh was merely five-foot-eight! Technus three-point-oh is now five-foot-ten!"

"Wait...so you put on two-inch heels?" Sam snorted. "Wow, big improvement, dude. Or, should I say, ma'am?" Danny laughed appreciatively as Technus' face flushed.

"As much as I'm enjoying this conversation, because believe me, I'm thoroughly enjoying it...that's enough, Technus. Why don't you do us all a favor and just crawl on in the Thermos, hm?"

"Oh, I shall inform you when it has become enough, ghost brat!" Technus said, popping his knuckles. Danny glanced down at Sam and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Sure you will." Danny shook his head. "Can we just get this over with? We were on a date."

"Is that so?" Technus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should shoot off a few fireworks to help set the mood!" Danny saw Technus' arms moving up as if in slow motion. Two rockets fired out of his sleeves, heading directly toward a completely unsuspecting and motionless Sam.

"_Sam!_" Danny's voice sounded strangely strangled in his ears. Sam twisted deftly to her right at the last second, effectively dodging the first rocket. The second, however, clipped her left shoulder. She cried out as it dragged her backwards off of her feet and exploded into a display of digital cameras. The display came crashing down on top of Sam, who was sprawled out and barely stirring on the ground. The scraps of metal and heavy camera equipment settled on top of her, completely obscuring her from his vision, which was suddenly tinged with red.

He roared in fury as he rocketed forward. Both fists connected with Technus' face before the latter could even move to defend himself. Danny felt a savage rush of pleasure when the technological ghost careened into a glass case displaying several high-tech cell phones. He sauntered forward and seized Technus by the shirt, dragging him upward so that his face was inches from his own. "If you _EVER_ touch her _AGAIN, I will RIP you to PIECES._ Got it?"

Technus nodded, his eyes wide behind his shining black sunglasses. Danny threw the ghost effortlessly into a second case, whipping the Fenton Thermos out and sucking him in without waiting for Technus to form a rebuttal. The sudden silence was filled with distant wailing sirens and voices coming from outside the store. Danny glanced out of the glass front doors and saw a mob of people pressing their faces against the glass, desperately trying to see what was happening. He grimaced at them, before one face in particular jumped out at him. Tucker was off to the left slightly, his eyes wild and glued to a broken digital camera display.

"Sam!" Danny gasped. He dove toward the display and began to dig desperately, searching for any signs of life. Finally he found her at the very bottom of the pile. She was unconscious and sporting an already-blooming purple bruise on her left shoulder. He cradled her head in his lap, murmuring her name repeatedly and brushing her hair out of her face. She was not responding.

He heard the front doors open and suddenly Tucker was there, on Sam's other side, lightly tapping her cheek. Danny felt the urge to shove Tucker away, to snarl at him to leave her alone, but it seemed to be working. Her eyes were rolling behind her eyelids and the muscles in her jaw were working. Her lips split apart and her eyelids fluttered open.

"Wha...?" She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to grab her head, moving her left arm to do so. She cried out when the muscles in her shoulder spasmed beneath her bruise.

"Don't, sh-h-h," Danny took her left wrist and forced her arm down to her side, trying to hold her a little more tightly without jostling the bruise. "You're gonna make it worse."

"What happened?" Sam whispered, glancing between Tucker and Danny. "When did Tucker get here?"

"Just now," Tucker murmured. "The new receptionist I just hired, Marcus, told me what was going on. I got down here as fast as I could."

She groaned, her body working against Danny's hands to curl into itself. Danny held her still, though, his face bent in worry at the amount of pain she was obviously in. "Did I get hit by a truck?"

"No, that display of cameras and crap came down on top of you," Tucker mumbled, glancing at the debris surrounding them. "Probably broke a few ribs..."

"Sam, I'm so sorry," Danny whispered hoarsely. Sam peered up at him, confusion shining in her eyes. "I wasn't fast enough...I just sat there while he...I'm so..."

"Stop," She said firmly, lifting her head up a bit from his hand. "This was not your fault."

"I'm supposed to protect you, though," He mumbled, unable to tear his gaze away from her.

"That's ridiculous," She murmured, wincing a little as she shifted in the rubble. Emergency responders were urging her to allow them to take her to the hospital, but she was blatantly ignoring them. "It's not your job to protect me."

"Uh, hello? Hero?" He laughed a little. "We'll talk more about this later, you need to get to the emergency room."

She looked very much as if she wanted to continue talking about it, but she allowed him to carefully lift her and carry her to the stretcher set up in the middle of the walk way. Danny stepped away as the EMT's began strapping her down, not looking around when he felt Tucker come up behind him. "You're not talking about it later, are you?" He asked.

"No way." Danny muttered, touching Sam's knife as the EMT's pushed her stretcher out the front door and toward the back of an ambulance. "I'm not budging on this one. Not ever."

* * *

**Yeah, because...hero complex. Yeah.**

**I don't know.**

**- Tori**


	5. Chapter 5

**I was MIA yesterday. Sorry ):**

**But I'm here now with a totally epic chapter that I think you're all going to really like. Mostly because it's so freaking long that I had to split it in half.**

**WHAAAAAAT.**

**THAT'S RIGHT. I'M TACKLING...**

**PPPPRRRROOOOMMMM!**

**Haha.**

**So, yeah. This is my version of Danny and Sam's senior prom. Whatwhat?**

**I'm in a much better mood, thank you for all the concerns. I was sick, I just didn't realize it. But I did yesterday so I took the whole day off of doing everything and now I'm much much better and happier. :D**

**Alrighty then. I don't own Danny Phantom. (:**

* * *

**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter Five**

**September 18, 2012**

* * *

_Prom: Part One_

* * *

Sam ended up getting hurt a few more times after the fight with Technus, though never as bad. Each time, Danny felt an even stronger reaction of fury toward the source of her pain. And each time, Sam grew more confused with his reaction.

By the time their senior prom rolled around, Danny had come to the realization that he could no longer imagine a future without Sam. Every scenario that played out in his head - dying at a young age, growing up and moving in to his own apartment, being an adult and a father - Sam was always there, on the edge of his vision. Trying to imagine something happening that would cause her to disappear sent physical pain through his chest and made him ache until he could kiss her again. And the strangest part was that he actually liked the idea of staying with Sam for the rest of his life. He had no desire to try dating anyone else. No one could ever offer the same amount of unconditional love and unquestioning understanding that Sam offered him. And the greatest thing about her was that she never asked for anything in return. She never expected anything from him.

Which made loving her that much better. She was always so pleased, so delighted at the smallest things he would do for her. Her smile was blinding when he made dinner for her one evening. She nearly jumped his bones when he found a rare first edition of her favorite children's book, _The Giving Tree_.

Then again, that was something between them that the chose not to speak about. They had been dating for two years, and they still had not been with each other in that way yet. It was not that he did not want to - because he _really_ wanted to - but he was afraid to bring it up. Every time he tried to play the conversation in his head, he could not stop picturing a horrified and judgemental look on her sweet face. He could not stand the thought of her being upset with him or disgusted in him. He could not think of a gentle way of bringing it up without sounding like a horny teenage boy.

Because that was not his intention toward her at all. He loved her, desperately, and he wanted to show her. Words were not enough, not now. Not with the intensity with which he adored her.

The press wanted to know everything about his and Sam's preparations for prom. What color is her dress? Will his suit be custom tailored? What kind of flowers would be in her corsage? What color would his boutineer be? All of the questions that were constantly hurled their way made his head spin. He was already stressed enough over the whole ordeal as it was; the fact that the entire universe wanted to know his non-existant plans made it ten times worse.

Sam was surprisingly relaxed about the whole thing. She managed to nail down her parents' lake house for them to crash at after the dance, and got Valerie and Tucker, who were going together as just friends, to double up with them. Sam and Valerie went and got dresses together, but they adamantly refused to let their dates see them until just before the dance. Danny was given only a picture of a square of golden fabric to go on. He was a little surprised at the choice in color, but he did not ask. He was definitely looking forward to seeing her in something other than black.

The day of prom, Danny woke up feeling completely nauseous. He glanced at his clock and nearly blanched at the red 10:57 AM that blinked indifferently at him. He knew Sam and Valerie had already been awake for three hours, working on hair and make-up. He grinned at the memory of Sam complaining the night before about how girls have to go through so much more than boys to look good.

"I mean, all y'all have to do is shower, throw a suit on, and you're done. It takes maybe a half-hour. Maybe a little more. For girls, it's, like...six hours. Just to do our hair. I should just show up with my hair done normally. Just to piss people off."

"Whatever makes you happy, babe." He grinned cheekily as she swatted his chest and rolled her eyes.

In truth, he was more than a little distracted trying to imagine what she would look like as he got dressed for the evening. He was planning out the perfect evening for the two of them; one that would hopefully end in ecstasy for both of them.

Tucker arrived about two hours before they were due over at the Manson's house to pick up the girls. He had his suit zipped up beneath a protective layer of plastic. Danny could see through the plastic that Tucker's tie and vest were a light blue, which would match Valerie's eyes perfectly. Tucker carefully placed Valerie's corsage in the Fenton's refrigerator before eagerly bounding up the stairs to get dressed in Danny's room.

Tucker, being the incredibly nosy person he was, was more than pleased to pester Danny with questions about his post-prom plans with Sam. Danny merely ignored him, chosing to focus on pulling his suit out of its' protective covering and smoothing the golden tie down. He ignored Tucker's persistent questions about what brand of condom Danny bought as he turned to his radio and cranked the volume up.

"Just shut up and get dressed." Danny muttered, pulling his undershirt over his head. "You're such a pervert."

"But I'm still your best friend." Tucker chuckled, buttoning his dress shirt up to his neck and tucking the tails into his boxers. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Danny shrugged. "Mostly because she's actually wearing a color other than black or purple. I mean who's ever heard of a goth wearing _gold_?"

"Oh. You haven't seen it yet?" Tucker asked. Danny froze in the middle of pulling his pants up, staring at Tucker.

"No!" Danny let his pants fall around his ankles, nearly tripping over them as he trotted toward Tucker. "Have you?"

"Yeah. She sent me a picture the day she found it. Don't even try finding it on my phone, I deleted it already." Danny dropped Tucker's phone on his bed and resisted the urge to growl. "I love her like a sister and I would never look at her as anything other than a sister, but...dude, she looks _hot_." Tucker chuckled. "Your jaw's gonna hit. The. Floor."

Danny's hands curled into fists as images flashed through his mind. He could not even begin to imagine how incredible she was going to look if she actually got Tucker, who was not attracted to her in any way, shape, or form, to call her hot. He swallowed hard.

"I hate you so much right now." Danny growled. Tucker chuckled and shook his head. "No. Seriously. I hate you. Do you have any idea how badly I've been wanting to see this dress?"

"It's really different from anything else she's ever worn, I'll give you that much." Tucker muttered as he yanked his dress pants up. "And Val hasn't sent you pictures of her dress?"

"Nah," Danny shook his head. "She told me what color it was and that it's...um..." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the messages between himself and Valerie. "'A sweetheart neckline and a mermaid shape gown.'" He cocked his eyebrow at Tucker, who was frozen in the middle of pulling his jacket on with a completely bewildered look on his face. "Do you even know what half of those words mean?"

"Search me." Tucker finished pulling the sleeve of his jacket over his arm before starting in on his tie. "What's a sweetheart neckline?"

"You're asking about that? I asked her what the hell a mermaid gown was and she said I was completely hopeless." Danny rolled his eyes and he pulled his belt on. "It's like...we're guys. We're not supposed to know what's going on when they talk about that stuff, right? That would make us..."

"...weird." Tucker chuckled. Danny threw his head back and laughed.

"Sure. We'll go with that," Danny shook his head, still chuckling, as he tightened his golden tie and glanced around for his suit jacket. "So...so she looks hot, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," Tucker nodded emphatically. "I'm gonna be surprised if you can make it the whole night without taking her out behind the hotel and ripping it off of her." His mouth was twisted in a maniacal grin. "God I can't wait to see your face when she comes down those stairs..."

Danny clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, picturing Sam in a long floor-length gown that clung to her curves and left just the right amount of her body to the imagination. Excitement sent his heart at a thundering pace.

"Dude? Dude!" Tucker slapped Danny's shoulder, jolting him out of his slightly inappropriate thoughts. "It's almost time to go. You ready?"

"Yeah. Ready. But before we go..." Danny pulled his phone out and snapped a picture of himself and Tucker. "For Twitter. I've got a couple thousand followers on there, they've been begging me for pictures all day." He laughed and sent the picture. "Alright. Let's do this."

After a half-hour of their parents cooing and taking endless pictures, the boys trooped out to Danny's car. He agreed to drive the four down to the Manson's lake house, so he would be leaving his car parked outside the Manson's house. When they arrived, the Mansons and Mr. Gray were sitting around and chatting in the Manson's living room. Their parents all hugged and the women gossiped while the men spoke boisterously about football. After a few minutes of this, they suddenly seemed to remember Danny and Tucker standing on the edge of the room. In an instant cameras were whipped out of purses and flashing lights blinded both boys.

"Oh you look so handsome!" Mrs. Manson squealed as she smoothed Danny's lapels over his chest.

He grinned, feeling heat rising in his face. "Thanks, Mrs. Manson," He mumbled. His hands felt ridiculously sweaty as nerves wound knots in his stomach. He could just barely hear the sounds of heels clicking on hardwood floors and the dull thud of a baseline drifting down to where he stood. He glanced at the ceiling and licked his lips subconsciously.

"Now, I have no idea what is taking those girls so long," Mrs. Manson tutted, glancing up at the ceiling herself. "I'll go up there and get them to hurry up..." She scurried over to the bottom of the staircase, before lurching backwards slightly. "Oh, Ida!"

"Hello, darling," Grandma Manson rolled around the corner, glancing and smiling at the group of people gathered in the living room. "I was just upstairs, the girls are almost ready. Well, Misters Fenton and Foley, aren't you looking absolutely smashing this evening?"

"Thanks, Grandma Manson," Danny kicked aimlessly, suddenly feeling like a child.

"Are those new glasses, Mrs. G?" Tucker asked, cocking an eyebrow at his quirky nickname for the eldest Manson female. She giggled and blushed in her wheelchair, waving his attentions away.

"Like I was saying, the girls are just about finished. I think Miss Valerie was having an issue with a zipper or some such nonsense. Should be just a few more minutes." Grandma Manson waved again, before puttering off toward the kitchen and muttering about making a Nutella sandwich. Danny watched her go, and just as she disappeared around the corner, he heard a pair of high heels clicking on the stairs as a female descended into their midst.

Valerie looked stunning. Her sky blue dress curved around her chest and clung tightly to her body down to her knees, where it flared out to the floor. As she walked, a pair of silver high heels peeked out of the material. Her hair hung in ringlets, framing her face. Her makeup was heavy, but not overpowering. It accented her facial structure perfectly. Her smile was blinding.

"Wow," Tucker breathed. Valerie spun around slowly, giggling a little when her father covered his mouth with his hand. "You look amazing, Val,"

"Thank you," She giggled. "Not half-bad yourself," She looked him up and down quickly, before glancing over her shoulder and blushing when she realized their parents were all standing around and listening. She glanced over and Danny and her eyes widened.

"Whoa," She whistled, nodding and taking in his appearance. "D, you look fantastic!"

"Thanks, Val," He reached toward her and hugged her. For just a moment, he felt all the old feelings welling up between them. But then she was leaning away and Tucker was moving in for a hug and there were heels on the stairs again. And as Tucker and Valerie stepped back and posed for the cameras, an incredibly slender woman in a golden dress appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

One thought formed in his suddenly blank mind: _Tucker was absolutely right_. He felt his jaw hit the floor and continue right on through to the basement as Sam slunk forward. The dress was shining, the neckline was like Valerie's. Only Danny suspected Sam's cut just slightly lower than Valerie's. The dress was tight against her torso, flaring into a bubble shape around her hips. It cut off slightly higher than half-way down her thighs. Her eyes never left his, even as their parents squealed in delight at Sam's dress.

"Spin, sweetheart, spin!" Mrs. Manson called. Sam rolled her eyes, but spun anyways, which proved to have a very bad effect on Danny. The back of the dress dipped low, exposing the vast majority of her back. Danny swallowed hard.

"Ready for prom?" She asked quietly when she was close enough for him to hear her whisper.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. His fingers felt rough and callous against the exposed skin of her back. "I think so," He murmured, resting his forehead against hers as her arms wound around his waist.

It honestly took him a few minutes to notice that her hair was swept up and to the side, leaving her bangs on her forehead and two small ringlets around her face. She pulled away and turned toward the cameras, smiling politely as what seemed like dozens of lights flashed simultaneously. Danny tried to pose for the pictures as well, but Sam was just to intoxicating, in every sense of the word. He had to concentrate on not caressing her arm as he slid her corsage on to her wrist. He nearly captured her lips in a kiss as she leaned toward him, trying to get a better view on his lapel as she pinned his boutineer onto his chest. Amethyst eyes flickered up toward his face and she smiled.

"Limo's here!" Grandma Manson called, peering through the window to the world outside. The four teens trooped out of the house, followed closely by a mob of parents, and posed before the limo. And then they were climbing in and waving goodbye as the limo slowly rolled down the street away from their parents.

"Let's party!" Valerie shouted once the windows were rolled up. Danny grinned widely and joined in the laughter, glancing repeatedly at Sam. She met his gaze and smiled confidently, his class ring sparkling beneath the limo lights on her left hand. Excitement, a new kind of excitement that Danny had only ever felt in small doses, was coursing through his veins and burning like wild fire in his belly. He captured her lips with his and kissed her forcefully, trying to communicate everything he felt for her and everything he wanted to show her later tat evening. She made a quiet sound, somewhere between a moan of pleasure and a grunt of disapproval, but he was beyond caring. That dress left far too much of her exposed for her to be angry about him wanting to take advantage -

"Hey, save it for the lake house." Valerie called loudly. Danny pulled away abruptly, chuckling at the smacking sound Sam's lips made.

"Oh, trust me," He murmured, just loud enough for Sam to hear. "I intend to."

* * *

**Aaaand CUE THE MARVIN GAY SONG!**

**Alright. Part Two is going to be in the works as soon as I wake up in the morning.**

**And as per usual of my writing there is going to be a twist. Gasp.**

**Oh don't act like you didn't see that one coming a mile away, y'all. Sheesh.**

**OH one other thing. The two Texas references I had in the last chapter of THLITE...obviously, the Snuggie actress. Doi. The second one was the bluebonnets planted in the garden! Because the bluebonnet is our state flower. Why do I know that? BECAUSE THEY'RE PLANTED EVERY. WHERE. EVERYWHERE. Super pretty. BUT EVERYWHERE.**

**My dog's making weird noises sooo I'm gonna go. Thanks for reading. (:**

**- Tori**


	6. Chapter 6

**I know that basically I suck or whatever but hey. I'm here. I'm updating. (:**

**So originally I intended for this part of the story to only take up two chapters...but it seems we're bleeding into a third. Heh. I guess this kind of makes up for me being MIA for two months.**

**Jesus. It didn't seem like that long at the time. Sorry ):**

**Okay for those of you who are uncomfortable with graphic displays of intimacy, this is a warning for you. It's not a lemon. By any means. But...it's leading to a lemon. No one loses any clothes or anything, but...we get close, I'll just say that. Anyways, if you're squeamish about that stuff, you might not want to read those last three fat paragraphs.**

**Also I know it's beyond short but I struggled with this a bit. I was trying to end prom in this chapter but it wrestled with me so much that finally I just gave in and let it have a third chapter. This chapter is sort of what's left of the battle ground.**

**Alrighty. I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter Six**

**November 15, 2012**

* * *

_Prom: Part Two_

* * *

Sitting under the flashing lights with music blaring in his ears and Sam filling his vision, Danny decided he was finally adjusted to the life of a celebrity. He had not even flinched at the hordes of cameras that descended upon him and his friends as they scrambled out of the limo and hustled into the House of Blues, which their senior class managed to reserve for prom. Sam, Tucker, and Valerie appeared unphased by it as well; he glanced back at one point to see all three of them smiling at the cameras as they dashed by. For some inexplicable reason, his heart swelled at the sight.

But the moment the doors of the building closed behind them, Danny ceased to be a celebrity and immediately became -

"Fentoni!" A familiar voice boomed from the shadows up ahead. Danny squinted as Dash materialized, dragging Paulina along behind him. "Dude! We didn't think you guys were coming!"

"Got a little hung up taking pictures," Sam said rather tartly, taking Danny's hand and pulling him forward. "See you inside!"

"I still don't understand why you don't like him," Danny muttered after they had brushed past the jock and were well out of earshot.

"I still don't understand why you haven't kissed me again," She shot back, grinning cheekily as they descended a set of stairs. The music was growing considerably louder, and from the corner of his eye Danny could see his classmates moving like a sea beneath a storm inside a rather large side room. But his attention stayed focused on Sam's face.

"You're gorgeous, you know?" He murmured, completely forgetting what they were talking about before. Sam's grin widened and she rewarded him with a quick, chaste kiss on the lips.

"You remind me every day," She said, turning toward the side room that held the majority of Casper High's senior class. He glanced back to see Tucker checking his jacket into a small closet, and mentally he noted the location of it in case he should feel the need to rid his jacket later on.

They started at a table, just the four of them, chatting rather loudly over the thumping bass. Valerie whined after three songs for someone to dance with her, which the trio ignored. It was not until a rather quick guitar melody, accompanied by a girl's voice, sounded over the speakers that Valerie shrieked.

"Taylor Swift!" She lunged across the table, her eyes wide and imploring to Sam. "It's from her new album! Come on!"

"No." Sam deadpanned, tightening her grip on Danny's thigh beneath the table.

"But it's_ dub step_! You'll like it!" Apparently Valerie was not taking Sam's no, for she stood and marched around the table, promptly ripping Sam out of her seat and dragging her onto the dance floor just as the beat appeared to slow. Danny watched with distinct amusement as Valerie kept a strong grip around Sam's wrists, her eyes half-closed as she sang along to the song. Sam was leaning as far away as she could from Valerie, her face contorted into half horror and half agitation. Sam shouted something to Valerie, Valerie stomped her foot and dropped one of Sam's wrists to point at the ceiling.

Just as her finger extended toward heaven, a deafening blast of the bass dropping tore through the speaker. Danny jumped, almost missing Sam's face splitting into a wide, open-mouthed grin as she laughed in delight.

Valerie did not have to hold Sam's wrists after that.

Sam was still laughing after the song ended. She tripped toward the table, where the boys still sat. "Didn't I tell you you'd love it?" Valerie demanded, out of breath from screaming the lyrics.

"It wasn't half-bad," Sam shrugged, her grin giving her away. "What was that called, anyways?"

"_I Knew You Were Trouble_," Valerie said confidently. Sam nodded, turning her attention toward Danny.

"Alright, lover boy, let's do this," She took his hand and dragged him out of his seat, ignoring his half-hearted noises of protest as they edged onto the dance floor. "Don't tell me you don't wanna grind," She winked.

"Please, you wouldn't grind with me if someone paid you," Danny snorted as his hands gravitated toward her hips and pulled her closer. Her hands snaked around his neck and she gazed up at him through her lashes.

"Yeah, you're probably right," She murmured, her hips just a smidge too tight against his own. He swallowed. "That would be gross."

Danny chuckled, before freezing in place. Sam's eyes were closed and her lips were parted from the moment his breath washed over her face. He swallowed hard as her eyes fluttered open and found his. An unspoken understanding passed through them at that moment.

Danny had to check himself to keep from tearing out of the room. Tucker and Valerie had long-since vanished into the crowd, which was just as well to him at that point. The fewer people who saw them, the better.

Sam pointed to the bathrooms, set off in a shadowy hallway away from the rest of their class. Danny pulled her toward the area immediately, glancing back over her head to ensure no one was following. They were alone.

Sam went into the women's restroom first, to make sure it was empty. Danny waited impatiently outside, shifting his weight nervously from one foot to another. He sent a quick thank-you to the powers that be for remembering to tuck a condom into his pocket before leaving his house. Not that he thought he would be doing anything with Sam before the lake house. He just felt an inexplicable desire to bring one to the event. Just in case.

Sam appeared mere seconds after she ventured inside, beckoning him in after her. He darted inside, wiping his hands on his pants as Sam locked the bathroom door. They turned and faced each other, a good five feet between them, before they dove at each other.

She was everywhere at once. He could not touch enough of her. His hands roved over her back, her sides, dipping down to her thighs before coming up to seize her neck and force her closer. He kissed her with bruising force, and she returned his passion with every ounce of strength she had in her body. His mind was dim, hazy in his lust for her. Somehow she ended up perched on the edge of the counter, wedged between two sinks, her legs wrapped around his middle and dragging him into her body. He could not form a coherent thought as her lips trailed across his face, down to his jaw line, nipping at the skin beneath his jaw. He turned his head, waiting for her to look up, before attacking her neck with his mouth.

She gasped as he trailed open-mouthed kisses along her throat, pausing only to nip at her pulse point before continuing down to her collar bone. She was making strange, high-pitched keening sounds. They sent shocks of pleasure through his body; some possessive, heady part of his mind that took over in moments of extreme stress grew feral at the realization that he was drawing these sounds from her. No one, not even that prick, Elliot, had heard these sounds before. Not from her.

No sooner had the brief thought of _How long can we keep this up?_ formed in his increasingly fuzzy mind did a sharp rapping at the door break their reverie.

"I really need to pee, can you guys finish up?" A feminine voice called with an edge of irritation.

Danny groaned and dropped his head to the crook of Sam's neck. Her arms draped around his shoulders, squeezing gently, as a breathless laugh escaped her chest. "Bummer," She murmured.

Danny lifted his head, locking eyes with Sam. "We'll finish this...later," He growled, planting a firm kiss on her swollen lips before sighing and pulling her down from the counter. He waited until she had straightened her dress before unlocking the bathroom door and stepping out.

A rather long line had formed outside the women's restroom. Danny felt his face heat up immediately at the looks his classmates were giving him, but he took Sam's hand in his and stalked away, trying to keep himself from looking back.

"When you said later..." Sam trailed, keeping her eyes forward.

Danny glanced back at her, his eyes twinkling with excitement. "Lake house." He said, turning his eyes forward as well.

He felt Sam's grasp on his hand tighten. "Excellent." She whispered, barely able to mask her anticipation.

* * *

**I did get a review asking if Sam's dress was based on a real dress. It is, actually. I altered the description a bit, but, yeah. Valerie's is, too, actually. Both dresses I've worn before.**

**Valerie's dress is based on the dress I wore as a junior when I was invited to the senior prom by my boyfriend at the time. It was alright, I guess. Heh. Sam's dress is based on a dress I found my senior year. I didn't go to my prom, but I went dress shopping with my best friend and tried on dresses for fun. Sam's dress was one of the dresses I tried on for giggles. Had I gone to my prom, I would have worn that dress. Of course, I left out the fact that there was a giant-ass flower on the right hip of the dress, 'cause Sam is all goth and stuff and giant flowers don't strike me as the kind of thing goths wear. But, yeah, it was a gorgeous dress. It was almost enough to convince me to go to my prom.**

**BUT I DIDN'T AND I DON'T REGRET IT AT ALL (:**

**Also in case you were wondering, it is possible to have the House of Blues as your prom setting. That's where both of my aforementioned proms were. Excellent setting.**

**Thanks for reading! (:**

**- Tori**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Huge, gigantic warning for this chapter: **There is no sex in this chapter, but there is a lot of talk of it. If this is a topic you are uncomfortable reading about, please, don't read this chapter. Or if you're going to, please be prepared. This chapter will probably bump this story up to an M rating. You have been warned._

**Other than that, that's really all I have to say about this chapter. Except that it's incredibly long.**

**Looks like this is the last chapter completely dedicated to prom. If there's something you guys want to see covered in this story, either pre-, during, or post-THLITE, leave a review and let me know. Like, for instance, graduation, apartment hunting, etc. If it's something you really, _really_ want to see, let me know, and I'll see what I can do.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Enjoy (:**

* * *

**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter Seven**

**November 17, 2012**

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_Prom: Part Three_

* * *

It was incredibly difficult to keep himself in-check for the remaining two hours of prom. After the bathroom incident, he found himself alternating between blushing furiously at the knowing giggles girls shot at him as they passed and a sort of carnal lust for Sam every time she brushed up against him. For how quickly he dismissed it before, he was seriously considering Tucker's earlier jibe to heart by taking Sam out behind the building and ripping that dress off of her. He was just about to act on it when half of the football team suddenly dove on stage, ripped their shirts off, and began a spirited dance routine to Single Ladies. Sam pulled away from him, her eyes on stage as she laughed with the rest of the student body.

As it was, he forced himself to settle with keeping his hands on her the entire night. She did not appear to mind too terribly, though; she was quite taken with threading her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling his head down so that their foreheads were touching, and giving him a smoldering half-lidded stare. The effects of these lingering stares were immediate, something she definitely noticed and seemed to thoroughly enjoy. His breath was coming in sharp gasps by the end of the second-to-last song, and not because of the physical exertion of non-stop dancing.

They were so wrapped up in each other that they scarcely noticed Tucker and Valerie, both of whom were attempting to speak with them, until Valerie reached over and shoved Sam with as much strength as she dared. Sam staggered to her left, her hips unintentionally bumping into Danny's pelvic region, causing the kind of friction that made Danny's eyes snap shut and his breath to come in a pleasured hiss.

"Jesus Christ, what is your problem?" Sam demanded, righting herself in Danny's arms. He kept his eyes closed until she was pressed against him again.

"We were trying to ask what song you think they're gonna play as the last song," Valerie said, glancing at the stage, where the DJ and Mr. Lancer were currently arguing. "Cheesy or appropriate?"

"Cheesy, as usual," Sam rolled her eyes, dropping her head to Danny's chest as she watched the men on stage argue. "This is Lancer we're talking about, here."

"True," Valerie glanced at the stage again. Lancer appeared to be gloating as the DJ begrudgingly plugged a battered white iPod in to his sound system. "Oh, Christ, it's from his personal iPod..."

A simple acoustic guitar strumming a relatively slow beat trickled through the speakers, drawing blank stares from the students. Danny's arms tightened instinctively around Sam's waist as a female voice began to sing.

_We could just go home right now, or maybe we could stick around for just one more drink, oh yeah..._

"Definitely cheesy." Valerie declared, but the smile on her face indicated that she did not mind it much. She turned to Tucker, who had spent the length of the conversation staring at Danny with a knowing, taunting grin on his face. "Wanna dance?" She asked, jerking her head toward the center of the dance floor, where the majority of the student body had already paired off. After one last half-sympathetic, half-gloating laugh, Tucker allowed Valerie to pull him out into the crowd. Danny waited until they disappeared behind Kwan and Star before turning his gaze back to Sam.

"You okay?" She asked as they began to sway in time to the music, a coy smile playing across her lips. Danny rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine," He breathed. Truthfully, his need for her was growing so quickly it was nearly painful, but she did not need to know how desperate he was. "Just, you know...excited."

Her eyes widened slightly as a blush crept across her cheeks. "Me too," She admitted in a voice just louder than a whisper.

He sighed and leaned forward, nuzzling her face and neck. "I am so in love with you," He murmured against her skin. He kept his face hidden, not keen on her seeing the embarrassed blush on his face. It was not because he was lying, no; in fact, it was quite the opposite. He had a difficult time voicing his feelings. Or any thoughts, really. Most of the time, he found that words were not his friends.

Danny felt Sam's chin on his shoulder, one hand gently and rhythmically stroking the back of his neck and tangling into the hair there, the other clinging lightly to his left upper arm and shoulder. She pulled herself closer, subtly grinding her hips against his, evoking feelings of pleasure that shot through the length of his body and made him momentarily forget his own name. She did not speak, which was just as well to Danny; she chose to communicate through action rather than words. He would not have her any other way, especially on this evening.

When the final song ended, adrenaline burst through his veins. He kept his grip on Sam's wrist vice-like, scanning the quickly dispersing crowd for signs of Tucker and Valerie. They materialized moments later, shooting strange, furtive glances at each other, before the four rocketed out of the room and scurried up the stairs toward the front doors.

Valerie was laughing as Tucker pulled her along, earning wide grins from both of the boys and a snort from Sam. They burst through the front doors, shielding their eyes from the flashes of the photographers, and Danny made a bee-line toward their limo. The driver already had the door open for the teens, all of whom gave him a sincere thank you as they dove in to the vehicle. Valerie was still laughing as the driver quickly reclaimed his place behind the wheel and the limo pulled away from the curb, beating the wave of traffic already building before the building.

"Did you see Star and Kwan?" Valerie gasped, dabbing fruitlessly at her streaming eyes. "I've never seen anyone so shit faced in my life!"

"Obviously you forgot about Dash's spring break party," Sam rolled her eyes, smiling good-naturedly. "They were _way_ worse then," Sam's hand drifted to Danny's thigh in the darkness of the limo. He sucked in a sharp breath, which somehow went unnoticed by the other couple. She stroked his mid-thigh almost absently; Danny would have thought that she had no conscious realization that she was even touching him, save the knowing smirk on her face as he jiggled the leg under her touch.

He gnashed his teeth together when her hand began drifting up. _It's not fair_, he thought. _Why should she be making me feel this way? Shouldn't I be making her squirm? All night, she's been teasing me, touching me, while I lean back and let it happen._

He caught her hand and lifted it away from his leg, keeping his eyes on Tucker and Valerie, trying with all his might to appear interested in what they were talking about. Thankfully, they seemed too absorbed in each other to notice what Danny was about to do.

His hand immediately cupped her inner thigh, and from the corner of his eye he saw her head lift slightly as her entire body stiffened. Her hand closed around his wrist. He paused, waiting for her to push it away.

When she did not, he swallowed and allowed his hand to drift upwards. She released a single shuddering breath, which went again went unnoticed by their company. Danny could not wipe the smug grin off of his face. He drummed his fingers against her thigh, trying not to laugh when her fingers around his wrist tightened. She exhaled again, and he could have sworn he heard the faintest hint at a moan behind the breath. He bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling at the noise. Slowly, he continued moving his hand up, gently massaging her leg as he went. She was starting to move, just barely, into his touch. Her hips lifted slightly from the seat as his hand neared the hem of her skirt. Just as his fingers dipped below the material, her grip on his wrist tightened and pushed him away.

He turned toward her sharply, to find her gazing at him with that same smoldering look. Her chest was rising and falling sharply as she tried to catch her breath. "Not here," She breathed, glancing toward Tucker and Valerie.

It was not new territory for them. Their official relationship was closing in on its' second year, but Danny knew it started years ago, the day they met as eight-year-olds. It was not a new thing for Danny to touch her, or for Sam to touch him. Things had been...heated between them before. Perhaps a bit too heated. He lost count of how many cold showers he took after hanging out with her. He could just never get the timing right.

Naturally, the drive to Sam's lake house was the longest drive Danny had ever been forced to partake in. In reality, it was only about forty-five minutes, but with the vast majority of his blood coursing through body parts other than his brain and the soft, sensuous figure of Sam shifting beside him as she accepted two glasses of water offered to them by Tucker, it may as well have been years.

He was about ready to crawl out his clothes and have his way with her right there in the limo when they finally arrived. He clenched his jaw and faked a smile as Valerie squealed and threw the door open, exposing them to the warm night air. He tried not to watch Sam as she climbed out before him, but his eyes seemed to be glued to her backside as she pulled herself forward.

The chauffeur graciously offered to take their luggage to the house while the dance was in progress, so they would not have to worry about dragging their bags in while still in their nice attire. Sam led the way toward the lake house, warning the other three not to trip over the loose gravel driveway. The path leading up to the house was impossibly dark, shrouded in shadows that made Danny nervous for only a fraction of a second. Sam's hand found his in the darkness and suddenly he was nervous for an entirely different reason.

For all the years Danny and Tucker had been friends with Sam, they had never once been in her lake house. Granted, they were not exactly aware of the fact that she was an heiress until rather recently, but, still. They exchanged a glance as Sam struggled to find the keyhole.

She pushed the door open and disappeared inside. The other three stayed on the threshold, as per her instructions to wait until the security system was disarmed. A light above them suddenly burst to life, casting a wide light over the porch and the path behind them. Danny chanced a glance back before Tucker's excited gasp drew his attention forward again.

"Damn, Sam!" Tucker choked as they stepped inside. They were standing at the very front of a large room, exposed beams running across the vaulted ceiling. At least eight armchairs were scattered randomly throughout the room, some clustered around small coffee tables, others facing the windows overlooking the front yard, one facing a dormant fireplace. The face of the fireplace was composed of large slabs of rock, giving it a rather rustic, western appearance. As Danny trotted further in, he spotted a ridiculously large plasma screen television mounted to the wall, above a large case that reached his mid-waist. It was jam-packed with movies. He glanced back at Sam, not bothering to hide his astonishment. She had her arms crossed over her chest, her lips pursed and turned to the left to hide her amusement at their reactions.

"This movie isn't even in theaters yet!" Valerie squealed, pulling a rather girly looking movie out of the case.

"It's alright," Sam shrugged. Valerie's mouth dropped open, but she replaced the movie without any further comment. "Well, this is the living room," Sam said lamely, gesturing to the room. Danny scanned the room one more time before turning back to her. "Lemme show you guys the kitchen."

They followed her out of the living room and into a darkened kitchen. Sam flipped a hidden switch and the room was suddenly flooded with light. Danny blinked rapidly, trying to take in everything at once. Shining state-of-the-art appliances. Gleaming marble countertops. Immaculately organized dishes proudly displayed in window cabinets. And on an island in the middle of the kitchen was a towering pile of -

"Junk food!" Tucker shouted, leaping forward with glee. His hands immediately closed around a bag of Hot Cheetos, ripping the wrapping apart in his haste to get to his favorite treat. Sam rolled her eyes and shook her head, watching him bury his face in the bag.

"Moving on," She said loudly. Tucker dropped the bag immediately, his face falling into a pout as Valerie patted his arm in consolation. "You guys can help yourselves to whatever's in here. There's a convenient store not too far up the road if there's something you want or need that we don't already have, just let me know. Trash can's over here," She pulled the can out of a hidden compartment beside the dishwasher. "And that's all you guys really need to know about the kitchen." She turned and trotted away from them, rounding a corner and disappearing from view. The other three hurried to join her.

She showed them the secondary living room, which she continuously called the "Sam cave" when she was not thinking. Valerie snorted at the first use of the term, but as they looked around, it quickly became apparent why the room went by that name. Danny recognized her touch on almost everything, from the size of the furniture to the colors of the blankets to the lighting fixtures to the placement of the television to the textures of the walls. Everything about that room screamed Sam. He had a feeling he would be spending a lot of time in that room that weekend. Sam led them into a long hallway, pushing doors open as she went. Tucker's room was first, and then Valerie's. Sam's was on Valerie's other side, and Danny's was just beyond Sam's. Each of their bags was already in their respective rooms, and they quickly split apart to change out of their prom attire.

Danny stared at the box of condoms tucked to the side of his bag as he pulled his swim trunks on. He was at a loss as to how to broach the subject with Sam now; he had to swallow back the fear that he had lost his only chance at the dance when they were interrupted in the bathroom. He shook himself and straightened, mentally assuring himself that he would have at least one more chance this weekend to be with her. It was not a waste. Hope was not lost yet.

Danny was the first to emerge from his room. He sat himself down in the Sam cave, clutching a towel to his bare chest as a wave of goosebumps rushed through his body. After being so impossibly hot at the dance, his exposed skin was incredibly sensitive to the cool air of the lake house. He sighed and waited.

Tucker appeared next, grinning stupidly as he flopped down on the couch beside Danny. His beret, which he chose not to wear to the dance, was now snugly on his head again, much to Danny's chagrin. "This is so awesome," He said. Danny nodded as enthusiastically as he could. "Are you nervous?" Tucker asked, suddenly serious.

Danny glanced toward the hallway, assuring himself that neither of the girls was listening, before turning back to Tucker and nodding. "There are so many things that could go wrong, you know? What if I can't figure out how to work the condom? What if...what if she says no?"

"Were you at prom?" Tucker asked incredulously. "Did you not see the way she was looking at you, or the way she was dancing up on you? Dude, she's _not_ gonna say no. Trust me."

Danny took a moment to digest this information. He swallowed hard, though, when a new problem arose in his mind. "What if she thinks I'm only doing this because I want to get in her pants?"

"Well, you do," Tucker snorted.

Danny punched Tucker a bit harder than necessary. "That's not the reason." He growled over Tucker's yelp of protest.

"Why do you want to do it?" Tucker asked as he rubbed his bruised arm, all traces of humor gone from his voice.

Danny sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's like...I don't know. I don't want it to be about sex. At all. It's...well, it _is_ sex. But it's more than that." He growled in frustration as Tucker arched an eyebrow in confusion. "I...I'm in love with her. I've told her a million times, but...I want to show her. I want her to feel it. I can say it as many times as I want, but...she won't actually know until...until I show her."

Tucker, for once, was silent. "It's not having sex," Danny continued cautiously, turning his gaze toward the far wall. "As cheesy as it sounds...I don't want to have sex with Sam. I...I want to...y'know...I wanna make love to her. I want her to know she is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. And...making love to her just...it seems like the ultimate symbol of the way I feel about her. It's more than the hormones or whatever else Jazz says it is. I love Sam Manson so much it hurts, and I want her to know. I want everyone to know."

"Damn." Tucker muttered. Danny glanced at him, to find his best friend's eyes glazed behind his glasses. "You're really in love with her?"

Danny realized with a jolt that this conversation was the first time he had ever told Tucker about the way he felt for Sam. "Yeah," Danny smiled. "I really am."

"What's it feel like?" Tucker breathed. A light blush was creeping across his best friend's face. Danny tried to think back to the last time their conversation had turned toward something so meaningful. He was blank.

Danny leaned back, closing his eyes and trying to find the words to describe it. "It's...amazing," He said, opening his eyes to gaze at the ceiling. "It's so surreal. It's like...okay, remember how we used to ride our bikes everywhere when we were ten?" Danny asked. From the corner of his eye, he saw Tucker nodding. "And remember that huge hill we used to bike down?" Again, Tucker nodded. "Okay, remember how, when we got going fast enough, we didn't even have to pedal? Or touch the handlebars? We could just coast down, with our arms out by our sides, like we were flying?" Tucker turned to look at Danny, a small grin turning his lips upward as he nodded again. "That's it. That's what it feels like. Except she's there with me, and everything is moving so fast and it's all so blurry and it's kind of scary but it's mostly just...amazing."

Silence swelled between the boys. "When did you realize you were in love with Sam?" Tucker asked, all manly pretenses gone.

"I've always been in love with her." Danny laughed. "But I didn't fully, and I mean _completely_ and _fully_ realize it until Elliot. I became aware of it back at that dance our freshman year, you remember?" Tucker nodded. "But it didn't fully register until Elliot turned me into a jealous freak of nature."

Tucker laughed appreciatively. "That he did," He nodded, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses as memories came flooding back. He was just opening his mouth to speak again with a door in the hallway clicked shut and light footsteps echoed down the hall. The boys turned to see Sam in the doorway, her eyes downcast on her cell phone. It was because of this that she missed Danny's mouth dropping open at the sight of her black bikini. It was not particularly revealing, but for the effect it had on Danny, she may as well have been naked. Tucker had to shove him, hard, to remind him that Sam had eyes.

She looked up just as Danny's mouth snapped shut. "Hey," She smiled warmly at the pair before dropping unceremoniously onto Danny's lap. He bit back a groan as she came in contact with an especially sensitive part of his anatomy. She leaned into his chest and propped her feet on Tucker's lap, allowing herself to become absorbed in her cell phone again. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not particularly," Tucker shrugged as Danny's hand drifted up her back. She smiled at his feather-light touch, but kept her eyes on the screen of her phone. "Val still getting ready?"

"She can't decide which bikini to wear," Sam growled. "She's been texting me about it for at least ten minutes now," Sam turned her head away from the boys and shouted, "No one cares!"

"I do!" Was Valerie's muffled response.

"That makes one of us," Sam muttered under her breath. She dropped her phone on her lap with a huff, before turning to look at Danny and smiling. "Hi,"

"Hi," He grinned back at her. She leaned forward and he met her advance, planting a soft, chaste kiss on her lips. Fire churned in his belly, spurring him on, demanding that he deepen the kiss and run with it, but he pulled away, painfully aware of Tucker's watchful gaze on the back of his head. "You good?"

"Little sore. My feet hurt," She grimaced as she glanced down at her feet, still crossed innocently on Tucker's lap. "But, yeah. I'm good. You?"

"M'fine," He kissed her exposed shoulder. "Ready to go swimming."

"Me, too." Sam groaned, glancing back at the hallway. Valerie was still no where to be seen. "That woman, I swear..."

"You guys go on out there, I'll wait for Val." Tucker said suddenly. Danny met his eyes. Tucker's eyes widened slightly, almost imperceptibly, before he glanced out the back window toward the lake. "We'll meet you out there."

"You sure, Tuck?" Sam asked.

Tucker waved her off. "Go, we'll be out there in ten minutes, tops," He smiled.

"Um...okay." Sam stood and moved toward the back door, glancing back when Danny did not follow. "Danny?"

"I'll be out there in a sec," He smiled warmly at her. She nodded and opened the back door, disappearing into the moonlight and leaving the door ajar.

"Go. I'll distract Valerie, we'll go watch a movie instead or something. This is the best chance you're gonna get to do it without getting caught by me or Val," Tucker said seriously. "Besides, it...I think it's supposed to hurt a little for her. It's better if you're outside where we can't hear you guys."

"Are you sure?" Danny asked breathlessly, scrambling to his feet.

"Positive. Go. We'll be in the front room."

Danny did not need to be told twice. He thanked Tucker profusely as he sprinted to the back door. Tucker rolled his eyes as Danny closed the door behind himself, turning rather nervously to scan the back yard.

The grass eased into a gentle slope, the transition from grass to sand gradual. The lake was a mere ten yards away from the back door, calm and glittering beneath the half moon over their heads. He spotted Sam sitting in the sand, her feet in the water. He smiled and hurried to take his place beside her.

"There you are," She said when he was closer. He grinned down at her as he sat, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his arms on them to mirror her pose. "I was beginning to think you guys ditched me."

"What? Ditch you? Never!" Danny said, waving his hand dramatically. Sam snorted, her eyes soft on Danny's face. "Not if they paid me a million zillion dollars."

"You're an idiot," She laughed, shaking her head. Danny gasped, covering his mouth in mock offense.

"How dare you!" He choked in indignation. "You have deeply offended me!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Sam said, feigning fear. "How ever can I make it up to you?"

"I can think of a few ways," He kind of surprised himself at how low and husky his voice suddenly became. Sam's smile faded as the lust in his eyes fully registered. She was given a second's warning before Danny was on top of her, working his mouth over hers as his fingers skimmed across her bare skin. He felt her responding beneath him, her body arching up to meet his, and he wanted to melt into a puddle of pleasure. Even when he was on top, in control, she found ways to make him lose track of where he was and what he was doing. He could not have that.

His mouth left hers, trailing down across her cheek, her jaw, down to her ear. He nipped at her earlobe, a low chuckle escaping his throat when she gasped. "Danny!" She breathed. He took this as a good sign, continuing his painfully slow exploration down her neck with his mouth. He paused when a low moan burst from her lips, before nipping again. "Oh God!" She gasped. That was all he needed to hear. He found her hands, balled into fists in the sand, and soon her fingers were threaded through his and he had her arms pinned above her head. He attacked her soft spot relentlessly. "Please, Danny, wait! Wait!" He stopped, closing his eyes and breathing heavily to catch himself. "I'm sorry, I just...I need to tell you something,"

"Now?" He breathed, leaning up to look in her eyes. She nodded, her apology written across her face.

"It's just...I...I heard you, earlier," She bit her lip. Danny blinked in confusion. "When you...you know...you were talking to Tucker."

He understood immediately. "Oh," was all he could say.

"Did you mean that?" She breathed. He suddenly became aware of the fact that he was still holding her arms above her head; he released them hastily, sitting up so that she could prop herself up on her elbows to gaze up at him.

One look into her violet eyes, so full of tentative hope, was all it took. "Yeah," he nodded. "I meant every word. I love you, Sam, I love you more than I ever thought it was possible for someone to love someone else. And I don't...I don't want you to think that...sex is all I want from you. Because it's not."

Her hand touched his face as she smiled up at him. "That's exactly what I needed to hear," She breathed. "Should we...um...move inside?"

"Ah, no." Danny said quickly, glancing up at the back door. "They won't be coming out here for a while...I think we should stay here." Confusion lit her eyes, but she nodded and leaned back on to the sand, gazing up at him expectantly. "But, um..."

"What?" Sam sat up again, her brows knit in concern.

"I don't have...I left the...um...my...Jesus...I left my condoms inside," He admitted in a rush. Sam's eyes widened and she nodded.

"Don't worry about it." She said, shaking her head. "I've been on the pill for a while now. We're good."

"Wait, what? How long?"

"Since our freshman year."

"Wh-why did you start taking the pill four years ago?" He gasped, panic rising in his stomach. "You weren't...I mean, you haven't...uh..."

"I'm still a virgin," Sam rolled her eyes. "The pill sort of regulates...um, certain...feminine...issues. If you know what I mean."

"Oh," A wave of relief crashed through him. "God, for a second there, I thought..."

"No," Sam shook her head. "I was waiting for the right guy to stop being so clueless."

Danny grinned, leaning forward until he was hovering over her. She was grinning back at him, her hands running over his shoulders, his back, his chest, his abs. He kissed her lightly on the lips, before quickly resuming his attentions toward her soft spot. "How am I doing so far?" He murmured against her skin, chuckling when she tilted her head back and bared her throat to him.

"Why did we wait so long to do this?" She gasped.

"Because I am a stupid -" he kissed her lips ferociously "- stupid -" he ground his hips against hers "- man," her legs wrapped around his waist.

"And there were ghosts," She breathed as her fingers plunged into his hair, dragging him closer to her collarbone, where he was currently nipping and sucking. "That whole Danny Phantom thing sucks."

"I'm quitting tomorrow," he muttered, grinning when her laugh quickly morphed into a delightful moan in response to his adventurous hands.

* * *

**Remember, drop a review if you really want to see something. Keep in mind that this will be ENTIRELY from Danny's POV. Asking me to put something in Sam's POV isn't gonna happen. Sorry. Unless you can think of a way to put it in Danny's POV.**

**Thanks for reading (:**

**- Tori**


	8. Chapter 8

_**WARNING:** Again, sex is discussed in this chapter. Also, kind of half-described. I got a request to include a lemon, which would be a bit of a challenge for me. I'm up to it. What do you guys think? Next chapter? Anyways, if the light description of or conversations about sex offends you, please, skip this chapter. Thank you._

**Alright, like I said above, I'm up to the challenge of doing a lemon, but only if you guys want one. I'm writing it either way, it's just a question of whether or not I upload. I mean, this fic is rated M, may as well make it a full and true M. If you care, let me know in a review, either way. And, please, none of the "only put one in if you feel like that's where the story's going" stuff. I just said, I'm writing it either way. I have a pretty dirty mind. How about you?**

**By the way, I love the last conversation of this chapter. It's similar to the kind of conversation I would have if I was in that situation. Heh.**

**Last note, again, if there's something you desperately want to see from Danny's POV that probably won't be covered, let me know in a review. I've gotten several really good suggestions already, but I'm still open to more, if you're willing to give me anything. Leave a review and let me know. I'll give you credit for the idea. (:**

**Okay, I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter Eight**

**November 18, 2012**

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They made love for the first time there in the sand. Danny never felt anything quite as incredible as Sam, all around him, everywhere at once. It was beyond amazing for him. But after he was in, fully, he chanced a glance down at Sam, to find her eyes closed tight and her mouth pulled into a pained grimace.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, lowering his lips to her neck. He could feel her shuddering, stabs of guilt winding their way through his stomach and chest.

"It's okay," Her whisper was strained. She lifted her head briefly before letting it fall back to the sand.

"Does it hurt?" He breathed, running his hand up her side to the swell of her breast.

"A little," She was lying for his sake, and he knew it. He pressed his lips into a hard line.

"We can stop," He moved to pull away from her, but her hands shot out to grip his shoulders and hold him in place.

"No, no, just...give me a minute?" Her eyes were squinted, as if she was trying very hard not to give in to the urge to screw them shut. Danny stared at her for a moment, his eyes blazing in indecision, before he lowered himself again. He remained very still, save for the gentle kisses he planted on her neck, until he felt Sam moving beneath him. "Okay, I think I'm okay."

"You have to tell me if I start hurting you, okay?" He murmured, sitting up to look at her again. She bit her lower lip and nodded. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his before making his first tentative movement.

He knew it was not very good for her, but it was pure rapture for him. It was all he could do not to attack her. He kept a steady mantra in his head for the duration: _take it slow, take it slow, take it slow_. When he finally collapsed beside her, it took him a few moments to catch his breath. When he opened his eyes, she was watching him, her face soft with affection. He cupped the side of her face and nuzzled his nose across hers, before kissing her again. He felt her sighing, and he hoped it was in contentment.

"Wanna go swimming?" He asked her softly when he pulled away. She smiled and nodded, staying there on the ground as he scrambled to his feet. He held his hand out to her, which she took. But as he pulled her to her feet, a pained groan escaped her lips. "What's wrong?" He demanded, steadying her when she stumbled. "Sam?" Her hands were far too tight on his arms. Panic began to set in, making his brain fuzzy. "_Sam_!"

"I'm fine," She snapped, shooting him an annoyed glance before closing her eyes again. "Just sore."

"Oh," He was relieved, for the moment. "Can you walk?"

"Danny," She said firmly. He paused, forcing himself to stop fretting over her and to look into her eyes. "I'm okay. I just wasn't expecting that. And...to be honest..." She glanced behind herself, and when she turned back a fierce blush was darkening her cheeks. "There's sand in places that _sand shouldn't be_."

He laughed. He could not help it, and he could not stop even after Sam smacked him on the shoulder. He told her she was cute and led her into the lake, grinning at the look of relief that crossed Sam's face as she sank into the water. They stayed out there for quite some time, just lounging in the water and talking. Eventually, they made love again in the water, and this time Danny could have sworn that toward the end Sam was actually starting to enjoy it.

They made love twice more that weekend, each time Danny sneaking into Sam's room in the dead of night to find her sitting up in bed, waiting for him. By the fourth time, Sam was definitely enjoying it, making these strange and wonderful noises that did quite a number on Danny's ego.

And from then on, when they made love, it was always slow. Always cautious. There were moments when he could feel, just beneath the surface, a strange, ghostly energy billowing and swirling, desperately attempting to break free and unleash itself on her. He always resisted, though, choosing instead to bite down on her pillows. He did not want to hurt her, or scare her.

As was to be expected, the couple was far closer after that weekend. They were together almost constantly, touching whenever they could. Holding hands. Brushing shoulders. Bumping knees. Danny caught himself making googly eyes at Sam far more often, much to Tucker's annoyance. But in the moments when Danny was not completely absorbed in Sam, he noticed that Tucker and Valerie seemed much closer as well.

Each time Danny was with Sam in an intimate way, though, he felt that burning need growing stronger and stronger with every passing moment. He was beginning to fear that he would not be able to resist it much longer, but he was at a loss as to who to speak with about it. Sam was out of the question; he refused to have her worrying for her own safety when she was with him. The thought alone made him feel sick to his stomach. Tucker would probably brush it off as hormones, as would Jazz. Valerie would glare at him and call him a hormonal pig. One person continuously popped up in his considerations; nausea rose in his stomach as he imagined the conversation. But as he grew more desperate, he began to realize that it was his only choice.

"Um...mom?" He said tentatively one spring afternoon. Graduation was a mere month away. The entire town seemed to be buzzing with excitement. The paparazzi was taken with asking Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie their plans for college. He swallowed hard at the thought.

His mother was settled at the kitchen table, busily multi-tasking as she planned Danny's graduation party and attempted to write a speech for an upcoming ghost symposium, which she was the key note speaker of. She glanced up at him, a warm smile on her face. "Hi, sweety," She chirped.

"Can I...talk to you?" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Maddie's eyebrows knit together, but she gestured to the empty seat across the table from where she was sitting. Danny claimed the space quickly, glancing around for signs of his father. "Where's dad?"

"Fishing," Maddie rolled her eyes. "That man has no sense of urgency."

Danny chuckled awkwardly, earning another concerned gaze from his mother. "Good. I...ah...I wanted to talk to you about...um...okay, I wanted to talk to you about Sam." He forced the words out of his quickly tightening chest, keeping his eyes planted firmly on the littered table. He felt his mother stiffen for a moment, perhaps in surprise, before she leaned forward and took Danny's hand gently.

"What about her, sweetheart?" She asked gently.

"Well...okay, this is really...embarassing. But I need to talk to someone about it and I can't talk to her..."

"Danny. It is perfectly okay to feel like you need to take a little break. You're getting ready to graduate, you're almost a grown man! Now, mind you, I'm not saying that you should make it a permanent thing, but maybe a little space would be good for you two -"

"What? No. What?" Danny yanked his hand away from Maddie's, fear in his eyes, shaking his head violently. "I don't want to take a break from my relationship with Sam. Ever."

"Oh..." Maddie leaned back, evidently more confused that before. "Then what is it?"

Danny sighed and rubbed the back of his neck again. "Okay. Remember...remember at the beginning of this year, when you and dad sat me down and talked to me about..._being careful_?"

Finally, her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh." She nodded slowly, and Danny could clearly see her fighting the urge to yell at him. Inwardly, he winced. This was not going as planned.

"I have been. Really, I've been careful. We...we didn't even...y'know...until prom." He pushed back steamy memories, desperately trying to stay focused on the conversation at hand. "But lately...something...kind of weird has been happening."

Maddie was pale, but seemed to be trying very hard to stay calm. "What do you mean?" She asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Well...we're both...new at it...and...I've, you know...I've been going slow, so...so that I don't...hurt her...but...lately...it's like...when we're...um...in the middle of...doing...things...I start feeling...I guess you could call it an urge. Um...it's like...this ghost thing, I think...but I feel it and its...it's been really hard not to just...let go and...I'm really scared that if I do...I really don't want to hurt her," He admitted, keeping his eyes on the table. His face was so warm he was positive she could feel it across the table, but he did not care. Embarrassing or not, he had to know what he was capable of.

"Well." Maddie said softly. Danny glanced up at her to find her gazing at the ceiling. "Danny, I've seen you in action. I've seen the charts she put together with Tucker. I know exactly how strong you are." She looked down at him, her features radiating seriousness. "You could kill her."

Danny had a hard time swallowing. "That's what I'm afraid of," He mumbled. "I can't...I've been resisting, but...it's been getting harder and harder...and I know she can tell something's wrong...but I just...I don't know what to do. What do I do?"

"This is something that you'll both have to work out together," Maddie said gently, reaching across the table to take his hand again. "If she really cares about you, she'll understand."

He nodded slowly, staring at the place where their hands touched. "Danny?" He looked up to see his mother wearing a rather reproachful glare. "This isn't just about the sex, is it?"

"No!" He jumped to his feet, positive that his entire body was blushing at that moment. "Jesus, I love her. I'm not just using her for...for sex. No."

To his astonishment, Maddie smiled. "Good." She chirped, seizing a stack of his baby pictures that had not been rifled through yet. "Does she know that?"

"Oh my God, _yes_, mom." He felt his pants slip out of tangibility and pool at his ankles for the first time in two years. "Look what you did!"

Maddie glanced up and laughed. "Sam's not here, sweety, you can put your clothes back on."

Danny gaped at her, before snatching his pants up to his waist and tearing out of the room. "I'm talking to dad next time!" He shouted over her laughter as he bounded up the stairs.

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**LMFAO 'cause that's something my mom would say. Awkward.**

**- Tori**


	9. Chapter 9

_**WARNING: **This chapter contains a lemon. If you are easily offended, please do not read._

**Okay. So. I got multiple requests for a lemon. And seeing as I only aim to please, here you go. (:**

**But it's not just a ****horny lemon that has no point. It's important to the story. There's a definite shift in dynamics here. Relevant to the state of mind Danny's in during THLITE.**

**Anyways, if you guys are reading this looking for the sex scene, it's in this chapter. Calm down. (:**

**And, again, if there's something you want to see covered in this story (and by that I mean an event you want described, not a body part you want concealed) leave a review and let me know.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter Nine**

**November 19, 2012**

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Danny never got the chance to actually speak with Sam about his problem. He was planning to, on the very next day actually, but as usual, everything went very, very wrong.

It started out innocently enough. Sam's parents and grandmother were going out of town, giving Sam the rare opportunity to have the house to herself. Before, when this sort of chance happened, she would spend all of her spare time sprawled out on Danny's bedroom floor, studying or watching television with him, or in Tucker's office. Anything to distract herself from the loneliness of a giant, empty house. But now, it excited her. Danny was invited to stay over for the weekend almost immediately after her parents specifically warned her not to sleep over with Danny. It was stupid for them to tell her not to let him come over, really. They all knew he would be here from the moment after they left to the moment before they returned. Sam grinned smugly at the pained look on her father's face.

Danny arrived at Sam's house at 7:04, precisely three minutes after her parents pulled out of the driveway and headed toward the airport. He did not bother knocking, opting to phase through the back door instead. He heard her in her room directly above where he was standing, singing along to her music, which was blasting loud enough that he could hear it down the street. He grinned and slipped through the ceiling, solidifying as his feet passed through her floor. She turned sharply when he landed on the carpet with a low thud, her smile blinding. Without a word, she stalked toward him, practically leaping into his arms as she crushed her lips to his in her excitement. He returned her enthusiasm with as much force as he dared, prying her lips apart and running his tongue across her teeth. She moaned when he hooked his hand behind her knee and hitched it up around his hip, pressing his growing erection into her warmth.

She starting making these wonderful groaning sounds as he pushed into her. His other hand found her straightened leg, and as her arms locked around his neck, he lifted her completely from the floor. He never broke the kiss as he moved blindly toward her bed, wondering how opposed she would be to doing it on the floor. Her fingers plunged into his hair as one of his hands moved to her rear, using the leverage to lift her a bit higher. He found her bed, finally, dropping her and grinning when she giggled and pushed her hair out of her face. He crawled across her, letting his chin skim across her stomach, her chest, and finally his lips met hers in another kiss. He was just starting to pull her shirt up over her head when his ghost sense went off, shooting directly down Sam's throat.

Danny jerked away quickly as Sam coughed. It was the first time they had ever been interrupted by a ghost. He growled and ran his hand through his hair, ignoring the way it stood up at odd angles in his fingers' wake.

"Go. I'll be right here when you get back." He could see the disappointment in her eyes, masked behind a thick veil of lust. He leaned toward her, cupping her breasts over her shirt and squeezing gently as he planted a firm, open-mouthed kiss on her lips.

"Ten minutes." He said, his voice husky. She nodded, eyes half-mast. He flitted out of her room, assuring himself that whatever ghost dared to interrupt them would die a terrible second death.

Twenty-five minutes later, after a lengthy chase around the park and an incredibly violent shaking of the now-full Fenton Thermos, the Box Ghost was detained and Danny was rocketing back to Sam's house. He was running over his conversation points in his head; how he would tell Sam that he felt the urge to be violent when they were together, but he would die before he let those urges reign free. He would never willingly hurt her. All she had to do was tell him when he was being too rough, and he would stop immediately. He was beginning to think that he might just be able to convince her that everything would be perfectly fine, when her house came into view. And his heart dropped from the five-story altitude he was flying at.

One of Walker's cronies was floating outside of her bedroom window, glancing left and right, obviously keeping watch. Danny's vision nearly went black as sheer panic burst in his mind. He heard himself bellowing "_Where is she?_" before he was inside her room. He glanced out the window, catching a glimpse of the now-unconscious guard lying on the street below, before turning his full attention back to her room.

It was empty. Someone had shut off the music. He could feel himself whining, instinct pulling him forward to search for her. She was not in her closet, beneath her bed or desk, or behind her wardrobe. "Sam?" He shouted, loud enough to be heard from anywhere in the house. "Sam!"

Silence met him. His growl ripped through his throat, coming out as a feral snarl, as he turned on his heel. Before he was aware of moving, he was on the street, crouched beside the guard. He seized the front of the guard's uniform, yanking the ghost into a sitting position and slapping his face until he awoke. "Where is she?" He growled, baring his teeth at the guard. He knew his eyes were alive with fire, burning a bright, acid green with the fear and fury he felt pounding through his veins.

"I don't -" Danny punched the guard, hard, across the face.

"Don't bullshit me!" He roared, yanking the guard up so that their faces were mere inches apart. "_Where did he take her?_"

"To the prison!" The guard gasped. "He's waiting for you there!"

Without another word, Danny had the guard crammed into the Thermos, ignoring the Box Ghost's shouts of protest. He was off again, the world around him blurring as he sped toward his house. He phased through the walls and floors without pausing, shooting directly into the Ghost Zone when he emerged in the lab.

Five minutes later, he burst through the front doors of Walker's jail. He paused, his ears pricked, listening for any type of sound. A territorial predator within him was very much awake, prepared to take down the entire Ghost Zone in his search for Sam. Even the rational part of his mind whined for her. He was about to give up listening, resigned to searching the entire building, when he heard it.

Her scream pierced him, shooting through his body, paralyzing him. It was long, drawn out. Every organ in his body turned inside out and attempted to evacuate in order to escape the turmoil her scream left him in, and for a moment, his eyes were swimming as he fought the urge to vomit. And then that predator within him took control, sending him shooting through a series of hallways, following the sounds of her screams, which were beginning to mingle with gut-wrenching, heaving sobs.

He burst through a side room, skidding to a halt with one hand beneath his body, bracing himself, as he took in the scene. Sam was supported by her arms between two guards, hanging between them rather limply, as Walker paced the floor before her. At the sound of his entrance, her head lifted, giving Danny a clear view of her neck. Which was currently choked in Wulf's collar.

"Well, well, look who decided to pay us a little vis-" Walker's gloating voice was cut off as Danny lunged at the ghost's throat. He could feel strange snarling noises ripping through his chest, making his vision turn red as he attacked Walker.

Walker managed to shove Danny away, flipping the halfa onto his back. Danny used the momentum to roll into a crouch, still spitting and snarling at the ghosts. The guards were gaping at him, using a weakly struggling Sam as a human shield in case Danny decided to attack them. Walker was staring at him, wide-eyed, backed against the far wall. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, green ectoplasm oozing from a cut above his right eye. "How dare -"

"Shut the _fuck up_!" Danny roared. He lunged again, seizing Walker by the neck. He planted his feet against the wall and pushed, using the leverage to throw Walker to the opposite side of the room. He landed in yet another crouch, one hand cocked into a fist, as Walker struggled to sit up. "You don't _use_ her! You don't _touch_ her! You don't _look_ at her!" Walker was in a sitting position, scrambling backwards, his eyes wide in fear. "If I catch you even _thinking_ about her, I'll destroy _you_, your _guards_, and your _entire fucking jail_! _Do you understand me?_"

Walker nodded, apparently too afraid to speak. Danny turned sharply toward the guards, who released Sam's arms immediately. He stalked forward and gathered her against his chest, closing his eyes briefly as he bent his neck to breathe into her hair. He could feel her shaking against him as he moved her away from the guards, a spot on the right side of his chest growing warmer and wetter at an alarming rate. She was crying. And in that moment, he realized that nothing made him feel sicker than knowing that Sam was crying.

"Get this fucking collar _off_ of her, _now_." Danny snarled. One of the guards came forward immediately, his pale, sickly hands working quickly over the device. It fell away from her neck, landing on the prison floor with an echoing clatter. Danny looked around the room, giving each of the ghosts within one last warning glare that could blister paint, accompanied by a low, territorial growl, before he had Sam in his arms and he was flying away from the prison. He held her tightly, planting soft kisses in her hair as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. He could feel her calming, perhaps more so when they were officially out of the Ghost Zone. In truth, he was a bit shaken as well; this was the first time any of his enemies had ever used his relationship with Sam against him. He was beginning to think that Sam was sort of off-limits to them. That maybe, even though they were his sworn enemies, they had enough respect for him to not even consider bringing harm to her.

He made a mental note to speak with Clockwork about the possibility of a conditional truce with the other ghosts, or to negotiate a deal in which Sam would no longer be in any danger.

Danny was reluctant to let her go once they were back in her bedroom, but he forced himself to pull away after she was settled back on her bed. He scanned her quickly, cupping the left side of her face, where a substantial bruise was beginning to form. She winced, but did not pull away from his feather-light touch. Other than that bruise and the fading marks the collar left around her neck, she appeared unharmed. He released a breath he did not realize he was holding, long and slow, as his eyes fluttered shut for a moment. He opened them again, though, once he felt he was calm enough to speak without going completely ballistic. "Are you okay?" He asked, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

She nodded, leaning into his touch, apparently still too shaken to speak. Danny rose and perched on the edge of her bed, longing to crush her into his chest, but afraid of scaring her off. "What did he do to you?"

"Just the collar," Her voice was scarcely louder than a whisper. She refused to meet his gaze.

He hooked a finger beneath her chin and forced her face up, so that her eyes flickered up to meet his. "Sam," He murmured. "It's okay. You can tell me."

"You'll leave," She whispered.

He shook his head emphatically. "No. I won't. I'm not going anywhere, not for a long time. I promise." He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, before pulling away and gazing at her expectantly.

"It's not...anything..._bad_, I guess..." She mumbled, both hands rising to cling to his wrist. He moved further back on her bed, situating her so that she was leaning against his legs. His hand moved into her hair, gently rubbing and massaging her scalp as her hands drifted further down his arm. She sighed. "They came into my room, and he asked me where you were. I told them I didn't know. Walker got pissed and started saying that if I didn't tell him, he was gonna kill me for harboring a fugitive. That's it."

Danny felt himself freeze, despite his best efforts at staying calm. Sam was eyeing him warily. "He...he threatened...to _kill_ you?" He was vaguely aware of the fact that his voice was dangerously low, bordering on a growl. Sam nodded slowly.

"Please don't leave me right now," She whispered, her voice full of unshed tears. And just like that, Danny was back to reality, setting aside his half-formed plans of murder to focus on Sam. "I don't think I could stand it if you left right now."

"I'll kill him later." Danny muttered. "But that's all he did?"

"Well, he hit me, to subdue me, 'cause I wasn't _about_ to go quietly." Danny felt a swell of pride at her spit-fiery nature. "And then there was that whole thing with the collar. But, yeah, that's about all he did to me."

"Good." Danny felt some small relief, recalling that Wulf healed incredibly quickly from the after effects of wearing the collar. Granted, Wulf was about six times larger than Sam, and a brute at that, but it was still comforting to know that the collar did not leave any lasting effects.

"We were in the middle of something, before," Sam said, bringing Danny crashing back to reality yet again. He blinked in confusion, before he suddenly remembered what they were doing before the Box Ghost rudely interrupted.

"We don't have to, now," Danny said quickly. "I understand if you would rather just lay here. I'm all for cuddling right now."

"Danny," Sam breathed, and he was surprised to see her eyes swimming in tears. "I don't want to cuddle."

He did not speak again. He stood, yanked his shirt off of his head, and stepped out of his jeans quickly, moving to hover over her in nothing more than his boxers. She was squirming beneath him, doing everything she could to escape the pleasure his hands were bringing to her while simultaneously undressing. Soon, she was wearing nothing more than her panties, writhing as his fingers dipped below the elastic and sought her center.

"Oh, shit," She squeaked when he finally found her. He kept his left hand braced on the mattress while his right explored her, fingers twisting and turning and bending, drawing as many noises from her as they could. Using his ability to fly to keep himself balanced, he pulled her panties down with his left hand and tossed them to the floor, quickly yanking his own boxers down and sending them to the floor as well. Within moments, both hands were braced on either side of her head, effectively caging her beneath him, and with a final grunt, he pushed himself forward. He felt Sam stretching around him, and he paused for a moment to let her adjust. He was latched onto her soft spot, lips and teeth and tongue working together to leave her marked as his own. She would complain about it later, but he truly had never cared any less. He heard her whispering his name repeatedly, her hands drifting to the muscles of his back to his hair and down to his rear. He felt her pulling against his rear, pushing him further inside of her, and he took this as her sign to move.

He began that same slow, steady rhythm, focusing on the way she mewled and arched into him in pleasure. He curled his head down, latching on to her breast with his mouth, nibbling and sucking on her most sensitive area. She was making one low, continuous moan, something Danny rarely heard, which pleased him greatly.

And suddenly, the urge was back. The urge to ravish her, to attack her, to mark her as his own so that no man, alive or dead, would ever dare touch her. It burned in his mind, white hot, and suddenly he was no longer able to resist.

"Sam," He gasped. He leaned up, eyes watering with the effort it took to hold off just a moment longer. Her head fell back, her eyes half-mast but alert. "I'm sorry,"

"Wha- _oh_!" She squeaked as his hips suddenly bucked up, almost violent in the movement. And like an animal finally released from its' cage, Danny went wild. He bit down on the place where her neck curved into her shoulder, licking and biting and sucking as hard as he could. He was almost positive he was drawing blood, but he did not care. Sam was silent, but her arms were around him, pulling him closer, so he guessed she was okay.

"Mine," He growled against her shoulder, nibbling and suckling on that same spot. "You're mine. No one else can touch you. They can't hold you. They can't hear your noises," He ground his hips forward and turned slightly, feeling himself rubbing against an inner wall that made Sam shout something completely unintelligible. It was like a cross between a curse and his name. "You are _mine_."

"Yours," He heard her gasp. In any other situation, he would have stopped, leaned away, and asked repeatedly if she meant it. Then again, in any other situation, Sam probably would not have labeled herself as his. That single word was all it took for him to renew his energy, determined to render her unable to walk the next morning. She sighed woozily as his thrusts grew faster and more shallow, his focus on her left nipple. She was focused on that sensation, which was exactly what he wanted her to do. He reached up blindly until his hands found her wrists, which he seized and pinned above her head.

He began ramming into her repeatedly, his thrusts long and deep, unable to stop the animalistic growls vibrating in his chest. He pushed up, extending his arms, desperate for a new angle. He looked down and saw Sam sprawled beneath him, her eyes closed and mouth open, the poster child for pure ecstasy. He saw the mark, his mark, on her shoulder, and a wave of perverse, caveman-like satisfaction washed through him. With more force than he ever would have dared to use in his normal state of mind, he rammed forward, grunting as his hips crashed into hers.

A noise Danny had never heard before made him pause. It was like a cross between a grunt, a gasp, and a scream. It had come from Sam. And it was the most incredible sound Danny had ever heard. Sam herself seemed shocked that she produced the noise, her eyes wide as she gazed up at him in dazed confusion. Danny arched an eyebrow, pulled his hips back so that just the tip of himself was inside, before ramming forward again, making sure he hit the same spot.

She made the sound again, and that was all it took. He slammed into the spot repeatedly, and soon Sam was making a string of noises similar to that squeal. He could feel her closing in, her entire body shuddering and convulsing around him, and he grinned manically. He was not even close.

A sudden idea came to him. He pulled almost all the way out again, ignoring Sam's whimpers of protest, and latched onto her soft spot. He bit, hard, as he rammed forward again. He rotated his hips at an agonizingly slow pace, sucking almost absently at her soft spot while holding her arms down above her head, content to just listen as Sam nearly drowned in wave after wave of ecstasy. With one hand still holding her wrists, he ran his other hand up and down her body as she slowly returned to earth, nipping at her pulse point. He could feel her erratic heartbeat beneath his lips, and another wave of carnal pleasure washed through him when he realized that he was the one doing that to her. He was the one making her feel that way.

The urge seemed to be quenched, so after she seemed to collect herself again, Danny set out at a slow, steady rhythm. Her head fell back, neck arched, and open invitation for him to kiss. He traced his tongue over her throat, blowing lightly over the trail he left and chuckling when Sam gasped. He kissed along her jaw line, to the right side of her neck, trapping her earlobe between his teeth and gently tugging. He could tell she was exhausted; her hands were nearly slack against his back as she struggled to hold on.

He felt himself nearing the edge, and with three more thrusts, he was pushed over. He groaned and buried his face in the crook of her neck as he emptied himself inside of her. He lowered himself slowly on top of her when he was finished, not quite ready to break their connection. He propped himself up on his elbow, rocking into her gently, and finding her glazed eyes on his face. "Hi." He murmured.

"Hi." She breathed. They were quiet for another moment, listening to the sounds of their bodies slowly calming.

"Did I hurt you?" He palmed her breast, still rocking into her, though he could feel himself softening.

"No-_o_," Her voice hitched as he buried himself deep inside of her, ceasing the rocking movements to enjoy the feeling of her surrounding him. Her eyes closed and he wondered if she liked the way he felt inside of her. "No," She breathed again, tracing the muscles of his lower abdomen.

"How do you feel?" He asked, finding her leg beneath the blankets and hitching it up over his hip.

She smiled serenely. "Like...um...like I don't, uh, I don't have any...bones," She giggled, sending dull waves of pleasure through his body. "And, um...and like, my whole body is made of Jell-O," She hiccupped, still giggling. "Oh, and, like I love you. Yeah, I feel like I'm falling in love with you. Which is kind of weird," Her voice was soft as she adjusted her head on the pillow, trying to get a better view of his face. "It's kind of weird. 'Cause I already love you, but, now, it's like...it's like I love you even more. And I didn't even know I could."

Danny leaned forward and captured her lips with an open-mouthed, but calm kiss. He felt her responding beneath him, her hands rising to his neck to hold his face to her, but he pulled away. "I fall more and more in love with you every day," He admitted in a low, husky voice. Sam's eyes were wide with wonder. He kissed her one last time, before rolling onto his back, pulling her on top of him. They fell asleep in that position, with Danny still inside of her, her head on his chest. He stayed awake long after Sam dropped into oblivion, though, watching the way her lips parted as she breathed peacefully. And suddenly he understood why men lied, cheated, and stole for this. He would destroy the world to be there with her, to ensure that no one else touched her where he touched her, that no one kissed her the way he kissed her, that no one heard the sounds only he could draw from her. He fell asleep rubbing her back possessively.

They woke twice in the middle of the night, making love lazily in the moonlight, only half awake. And in the morning, when Danny rolled to his side to find her sound asleep on her stomach, face peaceful and turned toward his, he realized that he never wanted to wake up alone again.

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**My first attempt at a lemon. Jesus. How did it go?**

**Don't, um...don't answer that question. Lord have mercy.**

**Before I embarrass myself anymore...**

**- Tori**


	10. Chapter 10

**It's been a billion years since I updated this and I'M SORRY but I've been super busy and blah.**

**This chapter is really short. Sorry ):**

**But at least it's here now, right?**

**Okay I'm gonna go ahead and upload this little guy and be done with it.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**Enjoy (:**

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**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

**Chapter Ten**

**March 26, 2013**

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Danny woke early the next morning, blinking groggily at Sam's ceiling. For a split-second he froze, trying to remember where he was, before the night before came flooding back to him. A flare of anger burst in the middle of his chest and his vision tinged red for a brief moment, before a quiet sigh to his left immediately calmed him.

He turned his head and nearly melted at the sight of Sam blissfully sleeping on her stomach. Her face was turned toward his, completely relaxed. Her lips were parted slightly and her cheeks were tinged pink. His grin was blinding.

He rolled on his side to face her, propping his head up on one hand. "You're beautiful," He whispered to her. "You're so beautiful, Sam. I love you,"

She did not respond. He chuckled breathlessly, reaching forward to brush a few strands of hair away from her face. The desire to stay there and just watch her sleep was almost overwhelming, but he forced himself out of bed.

Danny padded down the hallway to the staircase, stifling a yawn as he went. He'd eaten breakfast with Sam several times before, but he had never made the meal for her. In fact, he had never made any meal for her.

He whistled cheerfully as he moved about the kitchen, gathering ingredients for a vegan breakfast taco his sister taught him to make in the months after the Disasteroid. He was still whistling when he heard something rather heavy crash down the stairs.

"Sam?" Danny bolted away from the stove. He skidded around the corner and gasped at the sight of Sam sprawled out at the bottom of the staircase, her face twisted in pain. "Sam!"

He was at her side in an instant, carefully lifting her head and tucking his arms behind her shoulders. She was groaning quietly. "What the hell just happened?"

"I fell, genius," She muttered through clenched teeth. "Oh my God..."

"Where are you hurting?" Danny asked quickly.

"Everywhere!" Sam hissed. "Just give me a minute, Jesus Christ..."

"I'm not gonna let you sit here on the floor, let me get you to the couch," He lifted her bridal style before she could protest, ignoring her nails digging into his back as he hustled her into their living room. He lowered her carefully onto the cushions, easing her head down to the armrest. He could feel nerves twisting his stomach into knots at the sight of her face so twisted in pain. He dropped to his knees beside the couch. "Sam, talk to me, what's going on?"

"I just...I hurt," She whispered. "I feel like I got hit by a train,"

All of the blood in his face drained in a split-second. He took her hand and lightly squeezed it, reaching forward with his other hand to brush her bangs out of her face. For a moment, he had trouble forming a thought in the hazy panic that set in at her words.

"Oh my God, I've never felt this sore before," She whimpered.

"Sam...did...did I do this?" Danny whispered.

Her eyelids fluttered open, confusion shining in her eyes. "No?" He clenched his jaw and shifted restlessly from one knee to the other. "Why would this be your fault?"

"Last night...I got a little...um...aggressive with you..."

"No, no, no, Danny, that's not it at all," Sam cupped the side of his face and stroked his cheekbone soothingly with the pad of her thumb. "You did not hurt me at all. It was Wulf's collar, it was just Wulf's collar, I promise you."

"I didn't hurt you?" He whispered.

"No," She murmured. "You did not hurt me last night."

"It was just the collar? It was that asshole Walker?"

"Yes, it was Walker. It was only Walker. It didn't have anything to do with you." Danny chewed the inside of his cheek in indecision. He leaned forward and placed a kiss against the side of her head.

"You've gotta take it easy today, okay?" He murmured. "I'll take care of everything, you need to relax and let your body catch up with you. We'll just hang out around the house and I'll do whatever you tell me to do." He grinned crookedly at her giggle. "Wanna move downstairs?"

"Um...sure...but what's burning?" She asked curiously.

"Oh shit, the taco!" He scrambled to his feet and shot toward the kitchen, inwardly cursing at himself over Sam's laughter in the living room.

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**I...am watching a weird TV show...really weird...and I'm distracted.**

**Thanks for reading! (:**

**Tori**


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